WLSResources/ClothingExch

Not to mention haunches. Get it? Re-launch, horse's haunch? Yeah, I know that no one needs a road map for that one, but sometimes I'm a big baby tickled by herself.

You're under the "Powder Room" heading which seems to be the women-only forum. What makes you think not?

I'm unable to give any advice about sleeve surgery, but have a great need to say that your final question is the wisest of all. It tells me you'll be a champion. @@Fatty McFatster, it's easy to say, but true: You can do anything for two days. Best wishes to you.

Why would you not want to lose the weight? Is there some perceived threat at the end of the rainbow? Do you want to lose it? Write a list of all the reasons, keeping each narrow and specific. Example: Instead of "To feel good about myself," break it down to all the individual things that will make you feel good about yourself. I can't guess what it means to say that your husband requires your time. If he's ill and needs care, see about getting someone in a few hours a day to help so that you have some breathing time. If he's acting out his own feelings about your reaching goal, walk away. Don't let him undermine you. Ask point-blank why he's trying to derail you and let him know that his fears are unfounded (unless you meet Gregory Peck reincarnated and run off, in which case no one would blame you).

Are they teenagers? It's alright to raid each others' closets, but beware of their teenaged problem skin. Some things should not be repeated.

Call your wife's surgeon right now. Because she has not had a bowel movement in such a long time, she may be told to go to the emergency room to save time. Make the telephone right now. This should not wait any longer.

@@Inner Surfer Girl tore through the process so thoroughly and professionally that I enjoyed the read and will keep it for whenever I do some redecorating. I'll add a couple of things. Re: measurements, you can find on line floor plans with furniture and fixtures in varying scales. Little 3D kits are also available to purchase; I'm under the impression that the furniture is like scaled-down dollhouse furniture. Or you can go completely downscale as I did years ago before the advent of the internet. Measure your rooms and, using graph paper, cut them out to scale. Paste on cardboard for durability and portability. I measured furniture and things that go on the floor, outlined them on graph paper and pasted onto cardboard, then cut out the individual pieces. Certainly go more than one graph square per foot -- you want something you can see and play with. On each "wall" mark its width. Don't forget indentations in walls and window and door positions. Also keep a note of window & door measurements, distance from top of window frame to ceiling; ceiling heights; etc. I know you know this, but in our haste and excitement, it's easy to omit important data. Carry your scaled kit when you go to stores. Carry fabric swatches with you. Always. Even to the movies. A Pantone color wheel is a handy thing to have, but costly. Pick up lots of the paint store's color chip strips. Carry them to the movies, too. Carry a 6' or 12' measuring tape. You never know when you'll pass an unexpected yard sale or some such. A magnet, too. Sometimes you want to know if a metal item attracts. If it's not part of your knowledge, keep a list of which metals do and which don't. It may come in handy. @@CowgirlJane, one tangential thing. Your comment in another topic (you know) about not having the top of someone's head to gaze upon these days makes me think you're single? Worthwhile men fall in love with a woman who carries a 6' or 12' foot tape and a magnet in her bag at all times just in case. I learned this when, years ago, I began carrying them for purposes of furniture-hunting and I decided to continue afterward. If not fully in love, at least they think those items are elements in what makes a perfect, surprising woman. I've never been clear on what means transitional furniture or decor. Someone please explain. Laurie

@@CowgirlJane, since you already know what you want, I guess I'm not sure of what you're asking. Please clarify what you mean by "details." The smaller, decorative items? Laurie

@@Awjones28 -- When I saw the title of your topic, I was expecting a message about the fact that, now and then, people who ask for support and help get no responses whatsoever. @@LipstickLady -- Yup, the ones who ask and then get bent out of shape when they don't like the responses. It's their own fault, y'know. They should have written a few responses with instructions for responders to choose one.

Rant over? Yes? In that case, y'know where you whispered about having imbibed? Delete it and all that precedes it. What remains is your birthday. It's all that counts from here on.

There is nothing so sad as a nice, flat tummy not serving its purpose as a view-finder or compass Giddyap, Cowgirl.

Following my appendectomy, I was on IV for a couple of days. The drip prevented hunger, but when I began to feel better (the fever dropped), I felt it. Since my first day of food would be liquid and soft things, I proposed pizza in a blender. Cheeseburger sounds so much better. Wish I'd thought of it then. The pizza, of course, didn't happen, which is a good thing, considering how unappetizing it sounds.

Someone married this Strauss person? What a hoot. I love the initial caps on "Pickup Artist." Sounds like a job title and it probably paid well even if not in dollars. To be honest, I'm only barely aware of the book and have never heard the names Strauss or Mystery. It and they may be cheesy or witty or anything between.

@SleevePerry@SleevePerry Never mind. The edit system is stinko. Please see below.

It takes time to feel confident about what you're doing. When I went to a support group meeting as part of my surgery investigation, I couldn't understand a word said by the people who'd had band surgery already. I felt too dumb to be able to have the surgery and got weepy at the meeting. People understood and assured me that I wasn't the only one. Between you and me, though, I'm probably the only one who ever got weepy. You're fine. Next time you have an appointment, repeat what you asked here. Hearing the answer from the pros will give you an extra boost.

....will the people I've been getting to know know that I am still myself? When I signed on to BP, I didn't know that the visible name part of my email would necessarily become the screen name. It's pretty bad for that purpose, but I don't want to have to wave semaphores to let folks know what's up.

Oh, I like you people. You've given me some good material to work with. Memorable picture -- great idea. I'll masquerade behind the picture of your shapely, denim-clad legs and killer shoes. I've wondered about some of your screen names. Is Elode pronounced Elodie? What's all the MRB299PHOTO jazz? In brief, I've been organizing a free, semi-annual WLS clothing exchange in the NYC area for 5-1/2 yrs. I began for purely selfish reasons, needing new clothes a couple three months after surgery. The "resources" part is just that, on rare occasion when I come across something that I think would be of special interest to WLS people, I email my patient list about it (that's only happened twice, however). In case you'd like a little more info about it, I'll get a link to the publicity notice for last Thursday's event to you, as there's no attachment option below. In other words, I'm not important enough to be remembered? (not serious) Maybe I didn't express it clearly. I wouldn't use my email as the screen name. Too foolish a thing to do. Laurie

Same adjustment procedure here that B-52 describes. Never heard of the technique you describe, OklahomaGirl. My NP or surgeon does the adjustment and then hands me a small cup of Water. If it goes down, good. If it doesn't (which hasn't happened), a tad of the saline would be removed on the spot. Gurgling is common and there's no accounting for the time of day. It may come and go or it may be an ongoing phenomenon. It's fairly common for mornings to be more difficult for liquids and/or food than other times of day. Many people can't eat or drink until they've been up for while, sometimes a couple three hours. In my case I can't drink cold liquid in the a.m. I take synthroid first thing and must wash it down with warm water. Tepid water isn't warm enough. My current gurgling occurs at random at any time; I may have a few days straight and then no gurgling for quite a while. . Keep in mind that, if you put 10 people with bands in a room, you may hear 10 different experiences in all aspects of living with a band. You'll hear from at least some of them that the band changes its behavior at whim; hence, "the fickle b***h." Gurgling may be embarrassing and annoying, but I've never heard of it being truly problematic. If water/liquids are slow-going or painful, then you might want to go back in to remove out a tad of saline. As an aside, I see that you mention the amount of saline you have in your band now. Lots of us go into those details, but they haven't much significance. First, you don't mention the capacity of your band. Second, and more to the point, your 5cc may result in a band so tight for someone else that he has to have some removed. It's part of the range of differing experiences. I've known people who've never needed adjustments for their bands to be good, working partners; they lost weight steadily from the git-go. Best wishes. P.S. Whoa! I spelled out the word. The BP system substituted asterisks for the "i-t-c." I demand a recount! This is grownup time!

I have no info on Protein shakes as I don't use them. I only intended to suggest that you do a little taste test. Someone else can say whether he/she likes a particular product or concoction and perhaps describe it in a way that is useful, but no one can tell you whether you'd like it

@@BLERDgirl -- Oh, oh, oh, for a celebration? Like sitting home on Saturday night watching TV? The real thing all the way. For no occasion in particular? Like sitting home on Monday night watching TV? Then I'd go for a fat-free yogurt. There was a time I might have tried substitutes for many foods, but somehow I've come to ignore them. Thanks, though, really, for the recommendation. If I were to consider it, I have a feeling that your take on it is reliable.

That's a question that should be asked of your surgeon. Whenever you have a question or concern of a medical nature with regard to the surgery, the surgeon is the place to go. You can discuss it on the website, but your doctor is the place to start. If the office is closed today, call and have the answering service relay your question to the doctor. I imagine that another doctor is treating you for cellulitis. Be sure to inform that doctor of your bypass surgery. The information should become part of your medical record. I am not a doctor. Best wishes.

I know quite well what you're talking about. Despite and because of that, I shall not coddle you. Digging for some reality seems more the thing. The common wisdom is that people don't fear failure; we don't fear the familiar. It's fear of the unfamiliar that makes us break out in hives. What do you think the unfamiliar might be in context of what you've said? A week's fast on water? That's not too masochistic. What does it mean to "re-set my body?" It sounds like an orthopedics procedure. If you can't stick to a diet and exercise program, it's likely that you're not ready for surgery. The procedure isn't magic. Losing and maintaining weight loss is a matter of your doing the work. If during the psych eval you tell the psychologist that you can't stick to a program and want to rely on surgery for a cure, you will not be approved. A major part of getting approval is being able to say truthfully that you understand that. There is no magic in weight loss. Never make that mistake. You'll go through surgery and remain as you are or perhaps even continue to gain weight. Approval depends in large part in demonstrating that you're expectations are realistic and that you are capable of understanding and following doctor's/RD's/NP's and whomever else's instructions. "What if,"what if," "what if." Waste of time. Anxiety will see you locking yourself into a closet. One thing at a time. Tormenting yourself is not permitted on my watch. Do you really think you need a therapist? Why ever would you say such a thing? From my perspective and my own experience, I'll venture a guess that you sure do. There, too, the work is yours to do. The benefit can be invaluable in helping you sort out lots of things that need sorting out, the emotional and psychological as well as the pragmatic. Try sitting down with paper and pen. Real paper and pen, which I think will connect you more closely to the task. The task is to write down what you want. Not what you think you need or what you think you "have" to do. With very few exceptions, no one "needs to" anything. What matters is what one "wants to (fill in the blank)." Really wants. Make a list of what you want in broad terms, not only about losing weight. Then work on a list of all the reasons you want to lose weight and other goals. Keep them very specific. Example: "I want to be healthy" is far an excellent reason, but too broad for this exercise. Break it down into what you want to change, listing each health concern separately. You'll learn more, e.g., your values, priorities, et al., about yourself that you may have known. Lots of good information to have. Start by writing the things that come to mind immediately. You don't have to sit for hours until you think you have a complete list. Add things as they occur to you. You'll keep those lists because, when you do begin your journey, you'll still use them. As you accomplish each goal, you'll check it off. As new goals and desires occur, you'll add them to the list. Nothing is to unimportant or silly to go on the list. In fact, those things that seem small (and, when it comes to making changes, none is small) may be the first you accomplish. Seeing the check marks is a source of energy to stay with it. Bear with me. I don't have time to be brief. I hope I've helped.

If that sounds as though you might like it, just try it. Use small amounts for an experimental sample. No one else has your tastebuds.

1) Lost temper can never be found again. Are you really going to squander it on this? 2) You can do anything for two weeks. 3) Blow your nose and pull up your socks. 4) Jazz up the liquid swill with a bit of coffee; vanilla; almond extract; orange extract; cinnamon; a thick, juicy steak; or whatever else would complement the flavors. Whirl it in the blender with a 2" piece of banana or 1 tbs of PB if your surgery practice approves. 5) Go get 'em, Tiger. There you have it, some of my best material. Laurie

The comments have been about taste and, since that's got to be subjective, I was curious about the consistency and texture, expecting that it must have a vaguely gritty mouth-feel and be gummy at the same time. The ingredients info at the Arctic Zero website suggests an unpleasant texture. If I'm not going to have the real thing, I'd rather have a nonfat yogurt. Chacun à son goût.