youknowit

I agree with you all about the 24/7 dieting and exercising they do on the show and it not being "realistic"... however, the reason we don't know who the winner is yet, is because the last three have been at home in their "real life" situation, as the final test to see who wins. Meaning, who will win because they were able to maintain or lose while living their real lives again... Just wanted to put that out there so we aren't all focuse on how "easy" it must be living on the ranch and doing nothing but eat right and exercise. The true test has been the last three months these people have spent at home with their normal stress, anxiety, work, family, whatever... I still say, Go Suzy!

My doc recommends 1100-1200 cals a day... so, I don't know what else to say, other than I am losing, and am not quite starving... I'm only about a month out, started eating regular foods two weeks ago, and as long as I eat slow, chew more than I would have before, and physically and mentally watch my intake, I'm fine... After my first fill, we'll see how I feel then, but for now, this is working... and honestly, I don't "count" the cals, I just do what my nutritionist taught me, which is to "eyeball" the size/amount of the food. Including the liquids phase, I've lost 15 lbs so far... Wishing you the best of success. Sorry your doc isn't more sympathetic...

Who's rooting for Suzy? I sure am... I think all three of the finalist are amazing, but Suzy's the one! (I have to confess, I'm friends with her in real life, but still... she's kicking ass!) Go Suzy!

I had this too and discovered that my body felt tight there from the outside, and was indeed tightened up from the inside. I would try to have a drink of cold Water and would have a lot of trouble. I switched to warm tea, and after one cup (drink it very slowly), I felt soooo much better. Warming things up from the inside out has helped me a lot. Let me know if it works for you.

Ok, so since we're being frank here... The term "anal leakage" should be emblazoned on the front of the bottle. Boy am I glad I won't EVER be going back to that... Truly, I would rather be fat than do Xenical again. End of ramble... Just say no!

I don't know the answer to your question about "can" you take the Xenical, but I can say from personal experience it is HORRIBLE and you'll find out why from the "side effects" if you decide to... Just my two cents. Best wishes.

It's definitely not specific to banding... this can happen from even one severely stressful/traumatic event in your life, and I would say all the planning, plotting, going through all the motions and emotions and changes of getting the band would qualify. There was an article on one of the other threads here a while back about it... I'll see if I can find it for you. angie

Hi all. Just need to vent and any advice is greatly appreciated, here's my situation: I've been having some pain in my lower abdomen, and having very dark urine as of the last couple days. Well, I was banded 11 days ago, have been following the rules to a T, and I decided I should go to my doc here and get checked out. He wasn't in so I went to urgent care. I did call my band surgeon's office to let them know what was happening, and he wasn't in, but an assistance was. He talked to me and was very condescending about "are you sure you're following the rules," and things like that. I said yes, of course. He asked why I didn't call sooner, and I said, "I did call twice, but no one got back to me." He said, "You must not have read all the rules and your packet, because we have an emergency number, and you should have called that." Unfortunately I got a little sarcastic (I was in pain, at the urgent care, and was frustrated) and said, "I must not have gotten to that page in the packet." Then I said, "I know there's an emergency number, and since I didn't have it with me at work, and this is in my opinion nothing to do with the band, I didn't think it was necessary to call the emergency number." Then my doc at the urgent care came in, and I told him I had to go and would call back. When I got out of the office the actual surgeon did call me and we talked about the outcome of my visit to urgent care, etc, and he was very satisfied that I was following the rules, etc, and that the problem was nothing to do with the band. My doctor at urgent care said that I had a bladder infection and that had NOTHING to do with the band, so we are all on the same page. So I get home, and the doc who I initially spoke with earlier today (not the surgeon) sent me an email stating that he wanted me to send pictures of my incisions to make sure they were fine, and then he goes on to say (direct quote): "Also continue with your medication. And I would like to point out to you that you had to read every page of the packet before the procedure. Here it is again, to make sure you understand." Maybe I'm just tired from being "sick"... maybe I'm a bitch, I don't know, but his response was, in my opinion, very rude. I am really pissed about it, and I did write him back and say that I do understand the rules, the illness has nothing to do with the band, and that his condescending to me about "the rules" seemed very unprofessional. Am I crazy, or was this way out of line? This wasn't even my surgeon (who is awesome, nice, and very helpful with ALL questions and concerns), but was another doc in his office, and I am just so pissed. I didn't get the email until after I spoke with my surgeon, and I don't really want to call him again to bitch, but I am truly upset about this. Thanks for letting me vent, and any advice or thoughts, I'm all ears. :think

Thanks for the advice and support. Harley -- I have made it very clear I don't want to talk with this particular doctor again... and the office manager has been super awesome and nice to me, so I guess it will all work out. Or, like you said, there's always another doc to go to...

Hey all... Thanks for letting me vent and for all the advice. Unfortunately, I've been so sick and out of it all week, I just got back to read all your comments. I really appreciate it. UPDATE: Since my last post on this subject, I have talked with the surgeons secretary and himself about this and they have both been quite compassionate. However, after my phone calls and then emails regarding that other doctor, he wrote me AGAIN, and was even more rude, saying that I hung up on him and how rude I am, and how he's not unprofessional, it's me and my problem, blah blah blah. I've decided (now that I feel better and don't want to battle) to the adult here and ignore it... However, I will pass it on to my surgeon and the secretary. They both know I will NOT deal with this other doctor at all, so at least we're on the same page... At any rate, if anything further (beyond the most recent accusations and insults) arises, I'll certainly let you know. As always, thanks, and of course, more thoughts/advice are always appreciated.

NJ -- My doc is having me do the same thing, I'm on day 11. I've had a few days "of hell" in the "starving" department, but I drank some milk, or had some sugar free jello, and that seems to have really helped. Hope you're feeling better... This is the hard part, and we'll be off to the races soon... angie

I wish I would have prepared for this better when I had my surgery last week... as once I got out of the hospital and into the hotel, this was a small problem. I ordered the chicken Soup from room service and only ate the broth. I bought some juice boxes (apple and pear) and sipped those, and wish I would have thought to buy of all things those "cup-o-soup" packets that are single serving and mix with Water. I've used them this week, and they have helped (the broths only, nothing with chunks of anything in it). Tea bags might be a good idea too. (I was in Mexico 2 1/2 more past my surgery, which is why I regret not packing more "food" with me...) Water in Mexico is generally not a risk if your staying in a good hotel or hospital, but you can't go wrong with bottle water... At the hospital I stayed at, they gave me a cup of Jello, a juice box, and a cup of tea the morning after my surgery. Hope this helps. angie

oh, one more thing... sore throat MAY be from the breathing tube they put down your throat... or, if for some reason it's something else, take your temp and see if it's normal. it's good to nip anything that might be out of whack, in the bud. angie

bandman, I was banded last week, and yes, I had both of these symptoms. I was told they are very normal, and they have almost completely subsided, and I'm at day 8 now, so here's hoping that happens for you soon. On the breathing pain, it wasn't that I couldn't breath, but that it was painful in my sternum... that seems to have been due to the gas pain (which was massive for me), and once I started battling that back, the problem subsided. On showering... I showered the next morning and was a-ok. It actually felt very good and was helpful. Hope you are feeling better very soon! angie

I'm a 44... pretty accurate, actually.

Well, I was banded on October 28, so can I be in the club? angie

bumped for a band friend i made in mexico... :mad:

Just in case others are interested, here's a few I found at the library: Weightloss Surgery for Dummies A Doctor's Guide to Weightloss Surgery Eating well after weightloss surgery Hope this helps.

Thanks for the updated info.. I really appreciate it, as going to TJ might be a bit of a struggle with my work schedules. Did your doc use the fluro? Do you have any idea how far of a drive from here to there (I'm directionally challenged - hehe). Thanks again.

Hi all. Another bandster mentioned to me today that I should bone up on some basic Spanish that I might find helpful for my trip to TJ. Thought this might be helpful to share with others who might not have gotten an A+ in Spanish 101 (I sure didn't)...hehe -- angie

Jodie, You are right... I did my best with my half-ass high school Spanish. Worked for me on my trip, so it's all good now. Best of luck to all...

Right on Vines... As for the issue of behavior being the defining factor... good points about behaviors, but I think we all know that anything, like obesity, like culture, like life in general is VERY complex... and because of that, I feel we shouldn't just shove the genetic component under the rug, AND, we also can't sweep behavior, environment, culture, etc under the rug. Obviously this is a deep issue/problem. And because of that very reason, there is no "real" answer... and may never well be. And in my ever so humble opinion, who cares... I know I have a problem. I know I need help. And in the end, if I can lick this problem, it won't matter what the "reason" was that I was fat, just that I'm not anymore... Thanks for letting me ramble. Peace.

Sleepyjean... Ok, so I get it now. You take the adjusted gross income, multiply that by 7.5% and that gives you the amount you have to subtract from what you paid. That the amount that is available for deduction. I looked at my taxes from last year, and even the amount left over will help me a lot. Yahoo! lovin it... Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

Hi all. Tried to find this by searching, and came up with nothing. I know "money" isn't a popular topic for many of us, but I'm curious to know... Have any of you used your surgery as a tax write-off? I looked at the IRS website today after someone I know who doesn't have insurance was talking about writing off their bypass surgery. I looked at the IRS website, and under Publication 502, here's what I found: Weight-Loss Program [/url]You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay to lose weight if it is a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician (such as obesity, hypertension, or heart disease). This includes fees you pay for membership in a weight reduction group and attendance at periodic meetings. You cannot include membership dues in a gym, health club, or spa as medical expenses, but you can include separate fees charged there for weight loss activities. Ok, so my real question is... if we go to Mexico (or wherever outside the U.S.) can we still use this as a deduction? Anyone have the info on this? Here's hoping this is doable. Any accountants in the house??

There is a lot of research that is coming along on this topic... My doctor (PCP) is convinced this one of the primary components with many obese people. He told me this, which made me feel better (in a weird way): "Your mom is super morbidly obese, your dad is obese, your brother is obese. Many of your family members have or have had diabetes. Many of them have been sick with this disease for generations. You're nothing special in this regard, but we have to fight this." So, that's that. I know I could/should/would do better, but it's never enough. For some it is environmental, some behavioral, some genetic. And then there's some of us, where it's all three... that's me.