Turler

Yeah, it's been a little slow around here for a few weeks. We need some excitement! Anybody? ~C

I'm with you. I love this thread! DON'T KILL THE THREAD!!! ~C

You've had your band a long time. Why now are you having problems? Or has this been going on a long time?

Why won't your doctor unfill you? What is his/her reasoning for keeping you filled?

Wow! Are you malnourished? Have you lost too much weight? What kinds of tests are you having done since you are unable to eat? ~C

Hi ZZ! I'm here, but I don't know where everyone else is! I can't believe how quiet it's been around here the last few weeks! Hopefully the good weather has everybody outside! Congratulations on your walk today! Woot! I'm so proud of you for signing up for a ride! You can do it! Ya gotta just keep trying and pretty soon you'll be a pro! TX: Stef I'm sorry I missed your big day! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! ~C

Welcome to the team Steve! GO APRIL AVENGERS!!!!!!! ~C

HELLLLOOOOOO!!! I'm glad to see you two are doing well! Karly1: Are you using band-aids over your incision sites? Sometimes the adhesive can get irritating on your skin. If you're not using band-aids, is your clothing rubbing on your incisions? That can really irritate them and keep them from healing. You may to cover them (no ointment though unless your doctor says to) just to keep a padding between them and your clothes. Hope that helps! Leslie: Girl you are rockin'!!! Look at you...24 pounds lost??? Fantastic! I'm glad you got to advance...I can now have Peanut Butter and eggs! WOO HOO! I still don't feel full for long. Everything just slips right through the band. Can't wait for regular food! I am doing well. I don't have a scheduled exercise session on the days I work. I work 12 hour shifts and run my ass off the whole time. The other days I've been doing okay. I walk, but have been released to start riding my bike. YAY!!! I'd rather ride any day! I took my measurements today. I know I'm a little late, but couldn't find my measuring tape, so had to buy a new one! I want to use that as NSV down the line. I wrote down everything! Neck, ankles, knees, forearms, wrists and ring size!! Overkill???? LOL ~C

80's chick: I had the same problem. It's amazing how you think you're fine at home and then when you really start using all those core muscles, you realize the truth! I had a hard time the first few days back to work (I have a physical job). This week was much better...until I sneezed!!! OMG! That was last night, and I've been in pain ever since. Holy crap! I didn't realize I needed to hold my port site to sneeze! It will get better, but if you are so uncomfortable that normal movement is a problem, I would definitely see the doctor! Sorry you are in pain. ~C

I love this thread! It's so refreshing to 'hear' the things people like/love about themselves rather than the usual complaints we all have about our bodies. I've only been banded a few weeks, so I really don't have anything to add to this. I just wanted to tell you all how proud of you I am! ~C

So I am waiting in the lobby of my surgeon's office yesterday for my 2 week post op appt. After a long, hard road, I finally got my Lap Band on April 10th. This attractive obese woman sitting next to me speaks up and warns me that the doctor is running approx. 45 minutes behind. We engage in small talk and when one of the staff members notice me and comments on my recent weight loss, she asks me when I had surgery. I tell her, and she was amazed that I was looking so "full of energy" so quickly. She is clearly obese, but tells she had the RNY surgery...6 years ago! (Not done by my surgeon, but another in a different town) It made me wonder what weight she may have started from. She is bundled up in a sweatshirt (it's 74 degrees) and I ask her if she's cold. She tells me she is just trying to hide her fat rolls. We laugh and I tell her she is in the safest place to not worry about that at the moment! She goes on to share with me that although she had orginally lost a significant amount of weight, she had started gaining. She said her weight gain was now out of control. She warned me..."whatever you do, make sure you change the way you eat!" "I could eat anything I wanted and still lost weight. I never learned to make any changes". I told her how the Band works, and how we must change our eating habits immediately after surgery. I told her that we still have absorbtion of all the calories and fat, etc. We are 'forced' to change our lifestyles as this is only a tool. She thought that was wonderful and wished that dietary changes had been stressed to her for long term success. She had come to see my surgeon to see if there was any further surgery that could be done to correct the stretched out pouch she'd created and hopefully get her back on track. I felt bad for her. I can't imagine going through all of this (or any other kind of WLS) only to gain it all back. How sad. She knew she was going to have to change her lifestyle. I have been struggling with hunger since surgery, but have so far found the will power and strength to resist eating too much, too often or the wrong food. I hope I am able to do this until my first fill or however many fills it takes to keep my Band working hard! I am so grateful that we are told up front that this is not easy. That we will have to work for it. That this is only a tool. I'm glad that I will get the satisfaction in the end of all this, knowing that I worked for the weight loss. That is didn't come easy. That I had to exercise and choose healthy foods. So meeting her, I realized that I don't want to see myself in a surgeon's office in 6 years warning someone else about watching what they eat and taking care of the gift we were given! So I just wanted to share and encourage everyone that we can do this! We were given this wonderful tool to help us get healthy, not just skinny. Let's make the best of it! Learn from the wonderful staff of doctors, nurses and dieticians! They are there to help us, and keep us accountable. And of course, we have eachother! Have a wonderful day and a great life! ~C

I like it when people post just to post!

Kat: You are right! I can't believe how creative I've become in just a few short weeks! I do not like to cook, so I started with a few points against me. I have used some of the recipes on here and elsewhere looking for high Protein mushie food. Not just mushie, but yummy mushie. Not an easy task. LOL So how do you know the difference between being hungry, or just thinking you're hungry? I am so new to all this, and I've been darn hungry already. I can't seem to stick to the schedule as it's literally all consuming...sip, sip, sip, wait long time, chew, chew, chew...wait a long time, sip, sip, sip and on it goes. I am to be sipping or chewing for 18 hours of the day!!! I can't keep trying to do this. It's exhausting and I'm constantly thinking of food. I do the best when I'm at work and CAN'T get a snack, lunch or something to drink. Of course, that isn't that great either since I'm not getting enough to drink or eat! Ugh! BTW: Anyone have any good ideas of stuff to eat on mushie stage? ~C

Good Luck SavedbyGrace!!!!!

Plain: Thank you for your encouragement. I am so determined as I know most everyone is in the beginning! I don't want this to be like every diet either...you know, lose then gain back. I want this to last! ~C

BG: I haven't checked to see how far this ride is from me, but I'm guessing I'll need to stay overnight the night before. So I would be interested in a hotel in the area!! If you know of any good ones nearby. If everyone is gonna gather near your house, that's where I'll go too! ~C

WOW! What a great bunch of losers!! LOL I am down 16 pounds...was banded 4/10....WOOT WOOT! ~C

Lady, I have cancer also. I finished chemo last year and the doctors agreed to use the Lap Band just in case I need more. They are currently talking about a maintenence dose for me, and the fact that it's adjustable is the key. Take care of yourself and don't worry about dieting/eating for the band. Right now you need to eat for your health and healing! God Bless ~Carol

I'm doing so much better! I thought I was doing just fine until this last weekend and I suddenly felt SO much better! LOL I am eating well...on the mushies. Ready for something real though! I can wait...I wouldn't dream of messing anything up! How are you doing??? ~C

Welcome Tamboclan! Cute story! Kids say the darndest things...as they say! LOL

Northwest Ohio here too!!!! Hi Tess! I'm Carol...we might be neighbors. Good to have a buddy in this neck of the woods! I've been here since Jan 08, and just got banded! Welcome! ~C

Oops...hee hee...DUH! Sorry! Got it thanks!

I'm all over it. Send me a link! ~C

Thank you for all your well wishes, but they go back to all you also! I shared that story so we could all learn from her mistake. It doesn't really matter that she had the RNY and we had Lap Band. What matters, is that she didn't change her thinking. Of course I want to be the star patient! I want to lose the most and look great, be healthy, exercise and all the wonderful benefits of the changes that could be mine! But alas, we are human, and we make mistakes. Old habits die hard for sure! They say, that to change a habit, it takes at least 30 days to retrain yourself. I say that in some cases longer. I think of a habit as an addiction. Smoking, drinking, eating (too much), etc. Those things are life long purposeful efforts to stay away from, change or whatever. I can see that I will struggle, just like most on this site have. I will try very hard and at the end of the day I hope I will be able to say that I did my best. Then a new day will start and I get another chance to do my best again! We can do this! We need love and support and encouragement from eachother and our loved ones. I don't think it means that we can never indulge in a decadent mouthful of whatever it is we love to eat. I there is room for that in our lives. We just have to alter how we approach the food...fuel for the body vs. satisfying a craving. I dunno...I'm still new and excited. I may feel differently as my struggles get harder! LOL Let's not give up! ~C