Wheetsin

When you post, click "Go Advanced". Under "Additional Options" scroll down to the "Manage Attachments" button and click it. That will give you the option to upload a pic from a local drive or the www.

If you're referring to the educational class, it is (or at least was, when I took it) a lot about how the band works and a detailed walkthrough of exactly what happens on surgery day. Some of the stuff she told me about actually happened, and some did not. There really is not much to be afraid of. Just try to take it in stride and look at the bigger picture of what you'll be getting out of it. My surgery was on a Wednesday. The Saturday before I was a little nervous. That was it. The night before surgery I went to bed early and slept through the night, woke up and it felt like business as normal to head in to the hospital. I was fine until I was in the prep area, when they wanted me to change into the gown and climb onto the table. It took some resolve to actually be able to do that, and lots of reassurance from my husband. Once I got into the bed there was a lot of buzz - getting the IV setup, heprin injections, dressing, etc. If you feel nervous just ask them for something to help you calm down. Once they give you that, it's a piece of cake. Imagine being awake, but feeling very tired. Not tired like you need to sleep, but tired like you're only distantly aware of what's going on. That's pretty much how I felt, and afterwards you will only remeber bits and pieces of what happened.

You might want to invest in some music similar to "Brainwave Symphony", "Brainwave Suite", or others geared toward the Alpha (relaxation) or Delta (sleep) brainwaves.

I've been stocking up on sandals and summer skirts, and now all I want is my winter coat... and for my plants to rebud when it warms up again.

Is he rich?

It's amazing how fast it all goes. I'm very glad to hear that everything went so smoothly, and you don't have any signs of complications - internal or otherwise! You may have already addressed this, but why the VG band?

Well, carbs per say won't do that. You can eat a lot of carbs in the form of sugar water and it go right through. This is probably (generally) most true about breads or bread-based products. Case in point - refried beans have a lot of carbs, and they're on most post-op diets.

Also try Googling "bra size swimwear" or similar. Just got lots of hits that offer bra size bathing suits.

Junonia (www.junonia.com) sells separates so you can order the tops and bottoms in different sizes. I dive and I would recommend their aquatards over a swimsuit for wearing under a wetsuit. (Two models at http://www.junonia.com/thumb.htm?tl=1&ldid=2&sdid=16).

Call it faith-based sizing. We want to believe—hell, we really do believe—we're a size 6 or 8 because the label says so even when the scale disagrees. By Susanna Schrobsdorff Newsweek Updated: 4:09 p.m. CT Oct 18, 2006 Who who can fit into a subzero? Nicole Richie can.

How would you define "advance life"? Would you say that Hans Christian Anderson, Emily Dickinson, Rimbaud, Oscar Wilde, or Alan Turing, just to name a few, have ever "advanced life"? "Homosexuality is regarded as shameful by barbarians and by those who live under despotic governments just as philosophy is regarded as shameful by them, because it is apparently not in the interest of such rulers to have great ideas engendered in their subjects, or powerful friendships or passionate love-all of which homosexuality is particularly apt to produce." - Plato (but I guess he never did anything to advance life, either)

Keep in mind that the band is not designed to give restriction until it is filled. I'd hope your surgeon and/or psychologist were up front with you about this, and helped to set your expectations. Not many people have noteworthy restriction prior to their first fill. As for what to do between now and then - focus on trying to adapt to bandster lifestyle. You have a good acclimation period prepared for you. And don't beat yourself up if you're eating more than whatever quanitty guidelines you have. Again - not realistic until you have restriction. But you can focus on whatever your pre-op requires, and if you hit solids before your first fill, start finding hard proteins that work for you.

I have one and in my case it's scar tissue.

Lots of things could be going on. It could be a browser setting. It could be that the people made the post, and then deleted the pictures --or never actually posted the pictures to begin with. I'm not seeing it on my end, so if you can refer me to a few post numbers that are doing it for you, I will go have a look.

Not only can you do it, but you're going to do it, and you're going to be fantastic!

Send me or Alexandra a PM telling us what's going on. Just as a note, we don't just ban people on request. I don't want you to assume that someone would be banned just because you feel that you need them to be. Send us the information of what is happening and we will look it over. Thanks.

It can happen that the port (no "al" on that) flips. Perhaps that's what the doctor meant by "turned around". The quote above is from a surgeon's site, but I know banded people who are able to forego the operation. With some manipulation, their ports can be accessed via regular means, even while flipped.

I'm going on 14 months out and don't have much of an appetite. Lost it two days pre-op, and never got it back. It could be swelling, it could also be restriction from the band itself. Not everyone experiences that, but some do. I did. Nothing sounds abnormal to me...

For me this is a sign of good restriction, and something that makes me slow down. I used to gurgle/burp non-stop when I was first banded. I will also gurgle and burp when I'm nearing a PB, but when you're there, you know it. So if things are fine and you just happen to be burply and gurgly, I wouldn't think it's anything to be concerned about. If you begin to have pain or the liquids begin coming back up, seek your surgeon's input, that's a reliable sign of being too tight.

Technically your boss isn't even allowed to ask why you're taking the time off. PTO is a non-disclosure absence, meaning while you can be required to submit for approval X time ina dvance, and your request can be denied, they cannot ask, "Why, what are you doing?" Bosses don't know this and do it all the time, but it's a liability. What, specifically were you written up for? What's the exact verbiage for reason/cause? You can be written up for excessive absenteeism, but not if your absences are approved. FMLA is unpaid time that you cannot be fired or replaced for taking. However, I don't think that recurring monthly appointments constitute an FMLA cause. It's geared toward providing for others, not yourself, except in extreme cases (e.g. a peer of mine once used FMLA so that she could undergo dialysis, which took recurring appointments of 7 hours each). The "self" instances is what STD and LTD are for, but a monthly appointment would not fall into either of these. And both require most or all (depending on the company) of your PTO to be expired before their benefits kick in. And your time would have to be consecutive. So technically, if you do not have the PTO, and continue to miss work, I think you could be held accountable. However, if you have the PTO, you can not be questioned on why you're using it... and if you have the PTO AND your manager is approving your use of it/absence, then there's no grounds for corrective action based on absenteeism. I'm not a lawyer nor an HR rep. This info is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Add-ins help too. I can do the Six Star & EAS chocolate with just milk, but I'll usually add a blob of low fat peanut butter. That, too, makes all the difference. Or some DaVinci sugar free "Khalua" flavoring. Mmm. Or even some "Butterfinger" flavored cocoa mix, but just 1/3 packet or so - a little goes a long way. With the vanilla, it's great with about half orange juice, half milk, and a pack of Splenda. I use the "Light" orange juice (half the calories). It's not as sweet as real, but the sweetner makes up for it.

Apocalyptica. Another movie I won't be seeing.

I'm so sorry to hear that. You had been fearing a slip for a while, hadn't you? I know you (I think?) had been having some reflux problems, but had you not been able to get food down?

Fill and weigh in today. BMI is at a solid 37, down from something like 55. I'm soooooooooor over winter. Come on, spring!

What kind did you try, and how did you make it? I'm going to guess you mixed it with water...? I cannot tolerate them unless I mix then with milk, even if it's the Carb Countdown fat free milk. It really makes a big difference. (And I don't like milk... up until I tried mixing a protein drink in it, out of pure desperation, I'd not had any for nearly 15 years). I don't know if something like that milk is allowed on your pre-op, this kind has something like 90 cal, 0 fat, 3 carb. Part of it (IMO) is the texture. Something that's watery, but tastes like chocolate or whatever, just isn't right. It's like drinking a non carbonated drink out of a can. Part of it is taste - the milk "creams" out the flavor a bit - sort of blends things together. For me this made 100% of the difference. If you can't find one with a flavor you can stand, try "Six Star". It's by fat the best I've found, and I've tried A LOT. Well, let me specify. The EAS whey makes the best chocolate. The Six Star makes the best vanilla, and second best chocolate. IMO.