sleepyjean

YAY! I'm glad you're doing so well! I wonder where everyone else is. They must be doing great if they don't have any reason to hang around here :-)

I just found this thing online. I didn't have a tape measure, so I just wrapped a strip of paper around my wrist and then measured the paper with a ruler.I'm 5'8" and my wrist is 6.25. According to this, I have a small frame. Can someone with a good idea of their frame size try this out for accuracy? ======================================================= Body frame size is determined by a person's wrist circumference in relation to his height. For example, a man whose height is over 5' 5" and wrist is 6" would fall into the small-boned category. Determining frame size: To determine the body frame size, measure the wrist with a tape measure and use the following chart to determine whether the person is small, medium, or large boned. Women: height under 5'2" small = wrist size less than 5.5" medium = wrist size 5.5" to 5.75" large = wrist size over 5.75" height 5'2" to 5' 5" small = wrist size less than 6" medium = wrist size 6" to 6.25" large = wrist size over 6.25" height over 5' 5" small = wrist size less than 6.25" medium = wrist size 6.25" to 6.5" large = wrist size over 6.5" Men: height over 5' 5" small = wrist size 5.5" to 6.5" medium = wrist size 6.5" to 7.5" large = wrist size over 7.5"

I wouldn't go quite that far, but I would probably be irritated if anyone gave me the "I'm so hurt" routine. It's not about you, it's about a decision I made by myself about myself. This is a personal demon I have to fight on my own. I went through major surgery and months of stress and frustration and re-learning how my body works. It's been difficult as hell and is still difficult to this day, so please forgive me for not focusing on YOU and your hurt feelings during this time. As harsh as this is going to sound, none of this has anything to do with you. In other words, please get over yourself. XOXO SJ

Prepare yourself for your cycle to out of whack for a few months after you are bande. It seems to happen to everyone, and it sure as heck happened to me. After a couple of months, it settled back down to normal, though.

I'm not anywhere near done losing weight, but I was just thinking about the possibility of having some body work done. I absolutely cannot picture myself as anything other than chubby, but let's say for grins, I actually make it somewhere in the vicinity of chub-free. The procedures I'd consider are a tummy tuck and lipo on my inner thighs. Maybe a boob lift, but it seems like anything involving the boobs is extra painful. Anyway, I live in Los Angeles. Strangely, that presents something of a dilemma. It means cosmetic surgeons are a dime a dozen around here. It means some of them are veerrrrry expensive and very good, but it also means that there are a ton of quacks and sub-par surgeons who advertise on the backs of restaurant menus and strange places like that. Because of all that, I'm actually considering going somewhere else for cosmetic surgery. I know it seems like twisted logic, since many of the very best surgeons are here, but the idea of sorting through them all to find one that's really good and that I can also afford. It just seems easier to go with a doc recommended here and on obesity help. I'm even thinking Mexico, since it's so close. I guess my question is - has anyone had their surgery in los angeles/southern california? Did you have a good doc? I guess I'm just hoping the clouds will open and the perfect situation will drop out of the sky and land in my lap. Geez, who am I kidding? Not like this is anything I need to consider any time soon...

Hmmm...I'm 5'8" and my thumb and middle finger overlap by about an inch. curiouser and curiouser...

Forgive my denseness, but how is that discrimination? Did your boss have special restrictions for redheads? Brunettes and blondes can take time off for medical appointments but redheads can't? LOL Outside of my doctor and my shrink, the only two people who know about my surgery live thousands of miles away from me and each other. I am thankful every single day that I didn't tell anyone else.

I think this issue also has to do with *why* you eat. I can see why those got big because of hunger might continue to struggle a bit before the first fill. There are many of us who aren't in that category though. In my case, my fatness has very little to do with actual physical hunger. I am an emotional eater. Food was an easy and convenient way to deal with stress, depression, anger, etc. Once I got banded, food wasn't convenient anymore, and it sure wasn't easy. In fact, for the first month or so, eating was a pain in the butt more than anything else. I lost about 30 pounds in the first month after surgery.

I agree wholeheartedly. I really hate when people have enormous signatures. It's too bad we don't have some kind of notepad feature on here where people can put as much detail as their heart desires. Then all the history stuff could be there instead of in people's sigs.

Ditto what she said. Once I found out that your pouch could stretch over time to accomodate more food, bypass was totally out of the question because I could really pack it in.

WOW, that is a serious wedding gown! I love the bodice - it's really pretty

I was a May bandster last year and thought I'd pop in to say hello and wish you all luck. You are on the verge of a most excellent journey. (Sorry Bill and Ted, LOL). I know you'll all do awesome. Go get 'em!

Do you get fills with flouroscopy? If your insurance will cover it, and it's an option, you should request it. The doc can do a much more accurate fill that way.

Ok, I guess not, LOL

The other day, Kacee asked about looking for a journal for bandsters - for those who prefer paper and pencil to online. I've been thinking about this ever since. I'm toying with the idea of creating something like this that's just for those who have had WLS - not a diet journal. It's a lot to think about, so I wanted to get input from you guys. These are the sections I've thought of so far * pages for a new photo each month * pages to track weight, BMI, and measurements monthly (flexible so you could do weekly or whatever time increment works for you) * daily pages to track food intake, Water, exercise, thoughts, and level of restriction (but could also be used for pre-band diet) * page to track misc import stuff - doctor's phone, insurance coordinator's phone, insurance company, loan company, nutritionist, social worker, pre-op test offices, fill amount * pages to write down stuff like which Protein Drinks you've tried and whether or not you liked them * pages to track key dates - appointments, approval day (yay!), band date, adjustment dates, bandiversary That's all I've got so far, but it seems like plenty - ha ha. The problem is trying to make it flexible enough for people to use it in many different ways, but not so much so that it turns into one of those journals where you only use a couple of sections and the rest stays blank. I'd like to do a refillable binder type of book so you could choose the sections you want, but those get big and clunky. Now I'm thinking something spiral bound, and slightly smaller than 8.5 x 11. I don't know much about producing things like this myself though, so I'm not entirely sure what options are out there. What do you guys think? Is this a project worth doing?

This is about choosing a goal weight. Since I've never been "normal" weight for any length of time, I chose my goal weight mathmatically. I'm 5'8" and the healthy BMI range of 18.5-24.9 would have me between 122 lbs and 164 lbs. I put my goal at 143, because it's right smack in the center of that range. (Okay, actually my goal is 140, a nice even number.) I've noticed that quite a few people here set their goal weight at a point that puts them above the healthy BMI threshhold of 25. Why is that? I'm wondering if this is a weight where they felt comfortable before? Is it because they have a specific size in mind? Is it because they think once you are above a certain age, you'll never be "slim" again? Big bones? I always thought the BMI ranges were so wide in order to accommodate large, medium and small frames, so that wouldn't be the reason... Or is it because we as fat people believe that no matter what measures we take, we are genetically destined to always be just a little chubbier than everyone else? Or are we afraid of disappointing ourselves if we set the goal too low?

I haven't purchased any clothes in over a year, but prior to that, I bought most everything from Lane Bryant. It's the only store nearby GUARANTEED to have something that fit that I could buy and then get the heck out of the mall with all possible quickness.

I agree with this also. I have not heard any medical reason for why you should have to be at goal first. However, I suspect her attitude comes from the thought that for many people, regaining so much weight (even though it's for the very best of reasons) and having to lose it all again could be discouraging and make you likely to give up.

Lots of food for thought - thanks everyone

Keep up the good work, guys. ONEderland is just around the corner!

I'm so sorry they denied you, but that doesn't mean it's all over. If you can't get ahold of the coordinator, call and tell any and everyone in that office. If the coordinator is dodging you, she'll stop if everyone in the office tells her to call you back because now you're calling THEM now, LOL. Find out exactly what the grounds were for denying you. Then you'll know what you're up against.

You might want to change the title of this post. The show hasn't aired yet for those of us on the west coast.

It can be confusing,that's for sure. When I was first thinking about getting banded, it seemed like there were a LOT of posts about erosion and band slippage and that was scary. But I kept a couple of things in the forefront of my mind to help me stay focused: 1) The people most l active in a community like this one fall into three groups - those who want to be banded, those who were banded very recently, and those who are having problems. All three groups have a lot of nervous and/or excited posts. People who are doing well tend to spend less time here, and tend to lurk more than post when they are here, so you just don't hear as much from them. 2) The incidence of complications is really very slim. Because of my point above, it may seem like a bigger problem than it is. But if you look at the statistics, you'll see that erosion and slippage are very rare and becoming even more so as doctors in the US get more and more experienced with band placement. In the end, no one can assure you that you won't have complications. No matter what, it's still a gamble, but the odds are very much in your favor that you'll be ok. 3) What is the alternative? As far as I was concerned, this was my only option. I couldn't continue on the way I had been. At the very beginning of this process, I was shocked and horrified to discover that I weighed 70 pounds more than I thought - 45 more than my previous all-time high. It terrified me how easy it was to stay oblivious about my weight gain. I was gaining and gaining with no end in site. I could't drum up an ounce of willpower to diet, knowing that I'd ultimately end up even fatter than I was at that point. It all of a sudden became real to me that not only would I weigh over 300 pounds, it would be 325, then 350, then 375 and I felt completely powerless to stop it. I couldn't delude myself into thinking that I could just do nothing and stay exactly where I was at 266 pounds. The truth was, I'd tried everything else. I was either going to have the surgery, or continue to gain weight. I was tired all of the time, I had trouble walking, and my knees and back hurt all the time. Once all of these things came together in my mind, I realized that there truly was no decision to make - other than band vs. bypass. At that point, I made the decision to do it and I went through with it and never looked back. For someone like myself who tends to be incredibly indecisive about big stuff like this, the decision to follow through with banding was a surprisingly easy one. The band could be the answer for you, but maybe it isn't. Search your heart, but analyze your situation logically. Don't let fear guide your decision.

Hey Lisa, I hope you don't mind, but I emailed you with a couple of questions about experience with Dr. Soberanes...Goodness, how did you lose 115 in 7 months? I'm in awe!

I always sleep on my stomach and had a hell of a time during the first week after I was banded. I can’t sleep in any other position, so even if I managed to fall asleep on my back or on my side, sooner or later I’d roll over and get the red-hot poker in your belly sensation that would jolt me wide awake. My doctor had prescribed Lortab, but I wasn’t taking it because I wasn’t in that much pain. But after a couple of days of no sleep, I gave the Lortab a try. I discovered that that stuff would knock me out for hours at a time, so that’s how I got through that first week. I’d take some before bed, sleep for 4-5 hours, then wake up and take some more and sleep for another 4-5 hours. After that first week I was fine. I would have the occasional twinge, but I’ve slept on my stomach regularly since the week after surgery.