Kim_8

Ms Joy - Yee haw! Good job! I think it's better if you're eating a little bit more anyway.... I worry about my body thinking it's starving and not losing.... or worse yet screwing up my metabolism so bad that if the band was ever taken out I'd be in HUGE trouble! I'm so happy for you! We'll look forward to seeing another cute top at the next bandster lunch! Congrats!

I just saw this... I'm worried, too... Robyn, I hope everything is ok. Dr. Benavides is in Dallas (Richardson) and he's pretty good. You might call the surgery center of Richardson and explain the complications and see if they can bill it to insurance as medically necessary. I don't see why anyone wouldn't. Take Care!!!! And - I'm so sorry you're having so much trouble! (((hugs)))

Ok, I have now (for the first day since banding) drank 34 oz of Water. I know, I know - that's horrible... I just hate water. Can I please get a 1/2 point for 1/2 the water??? LOL Kidding. On the food thing. I will NEVER score 3 pts for food. I drown my food in sauces of various kinds... (salad dressing, gravy, wasabe sauce, bbq sauce, peanut sauce, etc., etc., etc.) Now I don't eat much, but I'm too big of a chicken to try any kind of meat with no sauce... I tried it once with Salmon and will not do it again. It was a bad experience. 99% of the sauces I eat will have some kind of sugar or flour in them. Therefore, I will exercise and TRY to drink my water, but I doubt I'll ever get the food points. :-( Diane - get your rear in gear woman! Look at all the weight you've lost and you look so awesome! I know!... Try sticking the Peanut Butter Captain Crunch to your thighs and then look at it. If you decide it looks nice and want to keep it there, then you can eat it :-). LOL

Hi All - Finally went to the OBGYN after a 10 year break (I hate going there). Anyway, they just called to say I'm diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). The doc wanted to put me on Birth Control pills, but I'm 38 and a smoker. I don't think this is such a great idea. I've talked to the nurse who will discuss with the doc again - she agrees that BC is not the way to go. Can anyone with any experience here tell me what alternate treatment options are and if they are as effective as birth control? Thanks! Kim

The doc mentioned something about trying Aldactone (mild diuretic)... says that's supposed to help. He'd like to possibly start me on that next month. Ah geez - I just looked it up on yahoo and it says that that is the Spironolactone! Go figure - get pocket book ready huh? Great. Here's the info I got when I looked up Aldactone and Hair on a search: FYI... Looks like it costs about 150 - 160 for 90 pills.... Are there any prescription treatments for excess body and facial hair? Excess body or facial hair, a condition known as hirsutism, can be caused by a number of different factors including heredity, certain drugs, and several medical conditions. Vaniqa (generic name eflornithine hydrochloride) is a new prescription cream for women that can reduce unwanted facial hair. Vaniqa seems to slow facial hair growth by interfering with the enzyme that promotes hair growth. Excess hair growth in women is sometimes due to conditions that cause the body to produce excess male hormones called androgens. An oversupply of androgens in the body can lead to excessive unwanted hair. Some prescription drugs can help reduce hair growth by blocking androgens. These include certain birth control pills, the diuretic spironolactone (brand name Aldactone), and flutamide (Eulexin). These drugs are usually reserved for women who have severe excess hair growth or hair growth that's difficult to remove with do-it-yourself methods. What is spironolactone? Spironolactone is in a class of drugs called potassium-sparing diuretics (water pill). It is used to reduce the amount of fluid in your body without causing the loss of potassium. Spironolactone is used to treat edema (swelling) and hypertension (high blood pressure). Spironolactone is also used to treat potassium deficiency and hyperaldosteronism (a hormonal disorder). Spironolactone may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide. What are the possible side effects of spironolactone? Stop taking spironolactone and seek emergency medical attention if you experience any of the following serious side effects: an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives); an irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, fatigue, confusion, weakness, numbness, or tingling (caused by high levels of potassium in your blood); or decreased urination. Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take spironolactone and talk to your doctor if you experience unusual headache or dizziness; nausea, diarrhea, or a decrease in appetite; dry mouth; bloating; muscle cramps; or lowering of the voice, excessive hair growth, or enlarged breasts. I LOVE the last side effect :grouphug:

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Treestumps - LOL!!! Yes, that they are! My hair is ummmmmm????? I think it was medium brown :-). Now it's grey, blonde, red, brown :-). However, the facial hair is BLACK and COARSE! I've spent --- geez --- at least $1500 on laser hair treatments. I've been to two different places. I don't know what kind of laser they used unfortunately. I talked to the obgyn office laser treatment person and they quoted me another $1000 for 5 sessions (full face). YIKES! I've even thought about buying my own professional unit if I could find one and get some training on how to use it. Seems like since it comes back, this will be a vicious money losing cycle. I have to say though that for the month - two months that the laser does work for is WONDERFUL!

Jesse - Thanks so much for checking on this! I firmly believe it should be added to the bandster instruction sheet at time of surgery if this is the case! This can save tons of unnecessary pain and embarrassment! I've now tried this 3 times and it has worked EVERY time. You get the lifesaver award this month!

Thanks Sammee! Don't you hate it when you lose your tweezers??? It's like a mad frenzy around here until I find them! I could not live without them! By the way, I've had around 15 - 20 laser treatments... it helps for a couple of months, but then it's like Michael Myers from Halloween.... back again!

Alway - nice summary info - thank so much! Good reference link indeed. Good luck to you... hopefully they'll find something that works for you at the endo! graceysnema - so sorry to hear about your daughter's problems! I hear your words and thank you for your concern. Over the next month I'll be looking into alternative therapies. Tricia - yep - not so thrilled with the talk. Part of what he says makes sense and he was kidding about me reading the web sites... but still, what a comment! I dunno... I'll be researching over the next month and will be looking for a specialist. I'm thinking weight loss is my best option - lucky for me I have a bright future in that area :bananadoggywow:. I hate that I've seen no reduction of symptoms with the weight I've lost, but technically I'm still in the "severe overweight" category - not even the "moderately overweight" category, so maybe I can't expect any change yet.

Deleted my tracking card due to non-participation.... :faint: Maybe next time....

Update.... Talked to doc today and he said basically he wants to make sure that my testosterone and DHEA levels go down with meds. On day 3 of my next period I am to go back for more bloodwork where they will retest these plus LH and FSH (whatever these are - got homework to do). He says this will confirm for sure the PCOS diagnosis. If the progesterone doesn't bring the levels down, then off to the endo he says. If it does, then he says progesterone can be used long term. (I'm not sure I agree or want to do this.) I say to him "so, you're treating the Aunt Bunny gooney-goo-goo mustache and beard (have to have seen Eddie Murphy Delirious), but your not treating the root cause - insulin management". He says I'm not supposed to be reading web sites about this and smiles. I say but if you don't treat the root cause, then you still have the problems with --- and he says, yep - ovarian cancer, heart disease, etc., etc. So he says ok, let's try this for a month, confirm the diagnosis and we'll see where to go from there. He mentioned again about the Metformin not being used unless you're trying to conceive. I said what the heck does an insulin drug have to do with getting pregnant? I'm still not sure I got a good answer to that one. At any rate, I'll try this for a month just to do what he says is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Once I have a confirmation (which by the way I was told by the nurse was my diagnosis), I'll go see an endo then. He said the main thing was to get the weight off. I said how much weight and he said even 10 lbs would help on my 5'2 frame. Ok, well, that I can do, but like Paula - I have seen no difference in this with the 50 lbs I am down. Sad, but true. Maybe you have to be out of the obese zone?? Who knows. I'm tired of this and not real happy with the talk we had. I'll be researching over the next month and I'll readdress it then. Meanwhile, I'm looking into the natural remedies as many of you have mentioned (thank you!) Thanks again for all the input guys.... Gooney-Goo-Goo Out :-)

Thanks for that Sammee - I'll go take a look. Paula - thanks for asking!

C 180.0 (-54 lbs total, -.5 over last week) I am retaining more water than the Hoover Dam. I can't get ANY of my rings off. Ughhhhhhhhh!!!!!

SkyeBlu - Sorry about the pain in the butt insurance company! They can be downright inhuman sometimes. Hey - I just wanted to let you know that my uncle is going through chemo right now. A company called Mannatech sells glyconutrient based supplements. He's been loading up on the main product (and some of the others). His cancer has metastacized from his lungs to his liver, lymph nodes, kidneys, spine and brain. His red blood cell count had dropped too low to continue chemo. He's been taking these products and his red cell blood counts have stayed high enough to continue the chemo treatments. He has up and down days, but he really believes the products are helping him to stay stronger during this. The product is made to help promote cellular communication. I actually work for Mannatech (have for a long time) and I do believe that the products help. Feel free to PM me and let me know if you'd like any info. I'm so sorry you all are going through this!

Jesse - I agree with Janet 100%. Everyone is different.... But hey - if you've lost 60 lbs, something's working! And if it ain't broke.... :-) If you've got restriction, no need to worry about that fill. You'll get to a point where you can tell that you've lost restriction. You'll be able to eat more than you did before and won't have that same feeling of fullness. You're doing great!

Glad you seem to be doing ok this time! Whew.. huh? You are looking soooo good! Still want your waist! You can have mine - it's pretty - really! LOL!

See there Tybalt - you did it! Good job! You take it easy... walking helps :-)

Hi Elisabeth - I think there's a poll going on around here about how people get fills. I remember seeing it. I personally go to a fill center (where that's all they do). They do fills under flouroscopy and then they do an injection to numb and then they do the fill. I can watch it on the screen and it's pretty cool. No pain really at all... just a little stick from the local. The port site may be a little sore/bruised after the fill, but not bad at all (for me) :-) Gadgetlady - sorry about that experience! Yikes! I would opt for the doc next time, too!

Hi Guys - I made an appt to go back to the obgyn tomorrow morning at 8:30 to discuss his treatment plan and the why's behind it. I talked to my PCP today who said that I needed to discuss it with him and probably see an endocrinologist. My PCP could think of no reason why my obgyn would prescribe the meds they did. She admitted that she wasn't a PCOS guru though. Here's what I've found in researching which makes me think this is something that should be treated (even though it can't be cured). As I understand it - ugh (trying to understand all this - so I may be off here), the PCOS is caused by the body's inability to process insulin correctly. This causes a number of problems -- excessive hair, cysts, high blood pressure, obesity, wacky hormone levels, etc.... many of these left untreated can cause problems (ovarian cancer, heart attack, diabetes, etc.) Even though there's no cure, the insulin medication treatment may help the body to process insulin better, thereby reducing the risks of the other symptoms caused by this malfunction. Metformin (glucophage) is generally used to treat from what I've read here and on the pcos board. Birth control or progesterone medications (like I was prescribed) will mask the symptoms (regulate the hormone imbalances and mentrual cycles), but will not treat the root cause (insulin handling problems). What is metformin? Metformin is used to regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels. Metformin works in three ways: first, it reduces the amount of glucose produced by your liver; second, it reduces the amount of glucose absorbed from food through your stomach; and third, it makes the insulin that your body produces work better to reduce the amount of glucose already in your blood. Metformin is used to treat type 2 diabetes. Metformin may be used alone or together with insulin or other diabetes medicines. Metformin may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide. Metformin Side Effects A small number of people who have taken metformin have developed a serious condition called lactic acidosis that has been fatal in up to 50% of cases. Lactic acidosis has occurred most often in people whose kidneys were not working properly. Liver problems may also increase the risk of developing lactic acidosis. Stop taking metformin and call your doctor immediately if you experience a feeling of general discomfort or sickness; weakness; sore or aching muscles; trouble breathing, unusual drowsiness, dizziness or lightheadedness; unusual or unexplained stomach upset (after the initial stomach upset that may occur at the start of therapy with metformin); or the sudden development of a slow or irregular heartbeat. These may be signs of lactic acidosis. :faint:

Leener --- yes, I deserve that finger shaking. I was always too self conscious to go the obgyn... Hell fire - my husband doesn't see that much of me... LOL. I have learned my lesson and will continue to go regularly! I hope all turns out ok with your tests! It's comforting to know that there are many around this board with experience with this... I did try the soulcysters board and posted there and have gotten a little bit of helpful feedback. Basically, most are on Metformin to control insulin. BC masks the symptoms but doesn't fix the problem is what I've found so far. I have decided not to take the meds the doc prescribed until I get a better explanation of why I'm taking them. So far the explanation is not a good enough one for me. If it's strictly for diagnosis, then I don't see putting myself at risk for pulmonary embolism and the like by taking the meds when I'm sure there's another way to confirm it. Thanks for your input!!!!! Talk to you soon.

Jesse - Me, too. :-) Thanks for checking on it... I don't see how it could hurt much either, but when MiniMe brought it up, I thought I'd chime in and get some thoughts. I'm taking deep breaths until I hear otherwise. Thanks so much for passing this info along! It has helped me tons! You have a good day!

Couldn't have said it better myself.... this is exactly how I was/am! I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but yes the emotional rollercoaster was running at full speed there for a while. Every now and then it comes back to take me for a ride... mostly when I get done mowing the yard or something and go directly to the fridge to grab a diet coke and then think ah geez! can't have that!... then I get mad, then I get a crystal light and all is well again :-).

Chunk - Great weight loss! Good job! Yep - I understand what you're saying and would never intentionally irritate the band. I got a really tight fill and seem to have trouble alot no matter what I do (hot tea, coffee, etc. included). This has gotten better lately as I think the band is starting to loosen up again. I'm just wondering if the holding the breath thing will irritate it any worse than the golfball feeling with the slime? Seems like you're expanding the esophogas to allow the food to readjust. Wondering if that might put any more pressure on the band than the "stuck". I take really tiny little bitty bites and chew, chew, chew... just doesn't always work.

Hi Yoda - I got irritable, too. No real reason - just emotional mood swings. I finally broke down crying one day on my way home from work wondering what the heck I'd done to myself.... (this was about a week after surgery). Once I started feeling more like my old self again (comfort wise), I turned back into myself again and all the weird out of control feelings went away! Hang in there!