HotLikeMe

My glue is gone and most of my scabs are gone too - but, I have a piece of what looks like fishing line (appx 1/4 inch) sticking out of the end of my largest scar. Is this a dissolvable stitch? If so, how long does it take to dissolve? Parvathi - is that what yours looked like?

Thanks for the link - great information. I go next Thursday for my first fill. I'm very nervous. I, too, am not eating very much and trying to drink a lot, but havn't lost any more in the last 2 weeks.

Now your scaring me. I go in for my first fill next Thursday. My port seems to be pretty deep too. Also, I've heard that we're not supposed to eat (just liquids) for 2 days prior to a fill? Have you heard that? Did you have to do that?

I'm just over 2 weeks out of surgery and my shoulder hurt up til just a few days ago - much more so than my stomach. If Gas-X Plus - the kind with simithicone(?) doesn't work, try a heating pad - but whatever you do, do NOT use a massager. OMG - I hurt 10 times worse when I tried that. Also, laying on my shoulder relieved the pain a little more too.

Glad your feeling better.

Starved was SOOO funny. The water squirting from his butt was from a colonic cleansing. He had pissed off the girl giving him his treatment and she just let him keep filling til it finally popped out, then he was trying to find the bathroom when all the other patients got "wet". He went to get the colonic cleansing cuz his other overweight friend had told him that you can eat anything you want then go get it all sucked out - kinda of a reverse bulimic. Gross - I know - but it was really funny. VERY dysfunctional show. It's on 10 ET on Thursday on F/X. The show right after it was pretty good too - It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

Married Hobbit - Orangeblossom Brandybuck of Buckland Maiden Hobbit - Orangeblossom Deepdelver of Brockenborings - WOW - good thing I got married. Elvish - Celebrian of Dorthonion

Actually, he's a SGT in the Florida Army National Guard - one weekend a month - 2 weeks a year. The longest he's ever been gone was 4 months after 9/11, then last summer for 2 months for all the hurricanes. So 18 months for us seems like a lifetime. I actually did think about waiting til he returned to get my band, but thought how "romantic" it would be for him to come home to a cute, sexy, little wife and sweep me off my feet (it's been many years since he's been able to do that).

My doctor is the one who told me to come in for a fill. It'll be just at 4 weeks from surgery. I thought I should wait until I started solids to see how restricted I would be (not to mention that I'm kinda nervous about it). Also, thank you so much for your support - it means a whole lot to me. One minute I think I'm fine and everything's gona be alright - the next I'm hyperventilating(?) Multiple personalities maybe.

Hi - My name is Cheryl and I'm addicted to my scale. I weigh myself in the morning, before and after the bathroom. Then I weigh myself before I eat/drink anything (to see if I should eat/drink) then again when I'm done eating/drinking. Then again, when I'm feeling "fat" and again, when I'm feeling "thin" (not too much of that one though). I weigh myself before I go to bed, and again in the middle of the night at "potty" time. I always weigh myself 2 to 3 times each time as well - just to make sure that it reads the same. I get on with my left foot first, then my right foot first to see which I weigh less on. I've leaned to the right and then left, knees bent, knees straight, even standing on one foot. The scale is an evil, evil thing. I agree that it must have been created by a MAN.

Vines - You have a God given gift for telling it like it is and helping everyone else here out with whatever their problem may be. I hope you feel better now. P.S. Jack - you crack me up!!!

I've been banded just over 2 weeks. I'm scheduled for my first fill on August 25th. However, my husband is leaving next Tuesday - August 16th - he has to go to Iraq for 18 months - Military Police. Should I not get a fill then? I'm already stressing - havn't really started on solid foods yet - only tried a few mushy ones. If stress restricts me even more I won't even be able to breathe. My first 2 weeks I lost 11.5 pounds, but now I've been stuck there for 5 days.

When I had my physc evaluation I told him that I already knew that I was crazy, but what did that have to do with having surgery? I think a lot of us are a little nuts. Mine just wanted to make sure that I knew that I'd be "losing my best friend - food". I'm a stress eater and I've only had my band now for just over 2 weeks and it has been very hard not to eat or drink - or whatever. Yesterday was my birthday and everyone got to have cake and ice cream - all I got to do was lick a little bit of frosting and about a 1/2 of a bite of icecream. Also, my husband's leaving next Tuesday for 18 months - he has to go to Iraq. I've never been more stressed in my life. Just because I have the band doesn't make it any easier not to WANT food REALLY bad. These are the kinds of things that I discussed with my doctor. P.S. Besides - I much rather have Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck) than Brad Pitt.

I'm just the opposite. It took looking at family pictures of myself to realize that I'm actually this big. Even though my clothes label said size 20 - I still viewed myself as a size 10 - I didn't know I was fat til I saw the "proof" in pictures. I guess that's how I ended up getting so big. I know it sounds stupid, but I didn't KNOW I was fat. I have mirrors in my house - I was looking in them - but I DIDN'T see it coming on. It took the last 30 pounds or so to make it hard for me to get up off the floor or get out of a chair, tie my shoes, etc. - that coupled with the pictures - what happened to me? Recently, friends that havn't seen me in about 5 years came to visit. When I picked them up at the airport I said "I know, who are you and why did you EAT my friend Cheryl? They laughed of course - told me I was crazy and that I looked great. People that love you - LIE. They said of course it doesn't matter what you look like - we love you for who you are. Which of course made me feel HUGE. (Goes back to "You have a pretty face" or "You've got a wonderful personality.") Damnit - I want to be HOT, SEXY, and maybe even a little BIT*%Y. Not the fat, funny, nice girl.

AMEN! Pass The Salt.

My 10 year old daughter is already overweight - she's the tallest and largest in her class. About 3rd grade she almost doubled in size from 2nd and has been on an upward track ever since. She is pretty sedentary - doesn't like to go outside cuz it's too hot (She sounds exactly like me.) My sons (5 and 3) are also big - not fat yet - just big. My grandmother, mother, and myself were not overweight until we became adults - specifically after having children - then all of us got fat. My mother-in-law, however, has always been very skinny - she is constantly nagging my daughter about her weight - then hands her a bowl of icecream because her feelings got hurt. When I was 10 I was normal - even skinny compared to others. My daughter, now, weighs more than I did when I met her father - at age 23. I recently found out that at school they're allowed to go back for seconds, thirds ... and apparently she has - every day. I knew I wasn't the only "bad" influence - but I thought schools were supposed to monitor these kinds of things too. I wasn't allowed to go back for seconds... at school. I've gotten my 10 and 5 year olds into soccer - this helps some - but it's not year round only a few months a year. I have some snacks in the house - but try not to bring in too many - cuz as soon as I get em home - they want to eat the entire box, bag or whatever it is all at once. Lately, I've bought all sugar free stuff (per my doctor's orders) and they've liked it - hopefully, this will help alleviate some of the problems. I know the most important thing is to get off my big butt and get them all moving . Now that I have my band and losing weight that's exactly what I intend to do.

Congratulations! Hope you feel better soon.

I was supposed to do it too. I did pretty well - slipped a few times, but my doctor didn't cancel my surgery because of it. I was only able to lose about 4 pounds prior to surgery. We were told, if you can't totally stick to the liquids, then NO carbs, just eat some protein. It'll be hard, but you can do it.

It's about time. You've got a lot of catching up to do.

About 4 days after surgery, my husband and I went to a friends house for dinner - nothing fancy - we all have kids - just hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, salad, cake.... but there I was drinking tea, cuz I couldn't eat. I almost cried. I felt hungry - I don't know if it was mental or physical - but I was HUNGRY. I've always used food as a stress "reliever" I guess, and now don't know how to "deal" with stress. Anyone have any suggestions? I've heard: try exercising or get a hobby, but nothing seems to be as "comforting" as my old standby - FOOD. I did have a physc evaluation before surgery and was very confident in giving up my "best friend", but now I'm having doubts about ACTUALLY doing it.

I was the biggest chicken I know - I was freaked out about the whole thing, anesthesia, IV, needles, scars (here I am obese, with stretch marks all over my stomach from 3 pregnancies and afraid of a few little scars) and not being able to eat my favorite foods - ever again. I'm only about 2 weeks out of surgery now - I'm going for my first post-op tomorrow - still a little freaked out about what I did to myself, but I'm 11.5 pounds lighter. So, I guess I did do the right thing. Me and the other women there, 5 of us were having this done, laughed and joked and craved pizza together, until they took us back one by one. We all did great, before and after. I'm sure you will too.

I was banded on July 26th too, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Definitely a busy day for bands - there were 4 other women there for it too - we had a great time together - before and after. Good luck to ya'll.

Congratulations on your band. I'm still on liquids too and well, not to be too rude, but, liquid in - liquid out. I had shoulder pain for just over a week - it hurt much more than my stomach. Anyway, they keep telling me, once we start actually eating we'll feel better. Good luck to you.

I'm supposed to be on liquids too and I'm also starving. When I really want something - I've just taken a small piece (hamburger or whatever) and chewed the taste out of it then spit it out. But last night I actually did eat a little - a couple small bites of refried beans and a couple of papitos with cheesy sauce. I freaked out after I did it though - but I was okay. I'm gona try not to do it again, but I guess until I get a fill I'll still be hungry too.

I'm 11 days out of surgery now and also still supposed to be on liquids. Last night my husband and I went out to dinner with friends and I just couldn't resist. We went to the BEST Mexican restaurant in town. Everyone ordered, except me - I was just going to drink my Rasberry Tea and that would be it. But, I didn't. I ate a couple (very small) bites of my husband's refried beans and a few papitos with cheesey sauce and a half of a chip. Then I started freaking out cause I had eaten SOOOOO much. I wasn't in any pain, but I started having a panic or anxiety attack or something. I won't do it again - at least I'll try not to do it again - but I SURVIVED. I too have been very hungry, but terrified to eat anything - liquids just don't take away the hunger.