Dody

Your symptoms are exactly the same as mine were. I had a sleep apnea test and sure enough I have it. It was causing me to wake up feeling like I haden't slept at all. I'm now on C-Pap and the difference is so noticeable. Did your dr. require a sleep study before your surgey? It really sounds like you could be suffering from this.

I have a whole lot of requirements before getting the band from sleep study to psych eval to in my case echo. I have to have an upper GI, but that is not the same thing as endoscopy. Did you actually have to have the tube placed down your throat before surgery. This seems unusual. They are normally just looking for ulcers before they band you.

I don't even have the band yet, but I am missing my gallbladder and taquitos or anything the least bit spicy make my stomach cramp up. I think it's probably just your tummy saying "hey this isn't for me". Chin up!!

It is so great to hear of these success stories from the lap banding. There have been times when I felt discouraged about getting it thinking perhaps I couldn't lose on it, but you have certainly proven to me that it works. I'm going to work as hard as possible with mine and can't wait until I get it and join the ranks so to speak.

I checked out your weight before the band, and wow your weight loss is truly amazing. It sounds like you are at the perfect weight for your height right now. You are a great big success story, and reading your post was so inspirational. There are a couple insurance companies that allow one plastic surgery, one is TriCare and I can't think of the other. This may be a cost you will have to have done on your own (that's the pits isn't it), but it will be well worth the money. God Bless You on your journey. You sound like one little miracle that has added years and years to their life. You lost far more than a whole person. :confused:

Sounds like the traditional hot cross buns at our house. They have always been a tradition around Easter and Lent. They have bacon flavored water now for dogs, so who knows this may come in flavored water too :confused:

Good Luck and best wishes on a speedy recovery. Please keep everyone posted on how you are doing.

Check out colon cleansers on the net. Not to use on an everyday basis but occasionally. If you don't mind Metamucil mixed with orange juice it sure would help you to drink some every day. I honestly don't mind the orange flavored in the least and just gulp it right down. Once a mo. or so a colon cleanser is a good thing...also can help you lose weight. Good luck.

It is great for so many rashes, and especially yeast rashes that often occur when skin touches skin. This can become extremely itcy and Lamisil can work wonders. I hope that you gave this a try. Of course you don't want to put it right on your incision, but simply on the rash spreading around it. I think you are going to find great relief. I make sure I always have a tube of it in the house. I can't think of a single rash that it doesn't give some relief too. Hope you are feeling lots better.

I am so happy when I read of great weight losses like this. It is inspiring and shows me what commitment and hard work can do. Congrats to you on your acchievement. I hope I can accomplish the same type of goal.

I think you mean prednisone which is a steroid and will clear it up. I suggested to you before to try Lamisil, which is very effective for these type of rashes and can be purchased over the counter. Xanax is an anxiety reliever, but isn't going to help the itch. Please think about some Lamisil while you are waiting to get the prednisone filled. Good Luck.

Good for you, you've done your research, and it is true that US surgeons are now banding differently. Let's hope it leads to far less complaints of erosions. I guess only time will tell. I like someone that does their homework :eek::faint:

I'm looking at late April or early May for my banding, so please let me know how everything goes for you. God Bless and I'll be thinking about you and wishing you well on your new journey.

I'm going to Tennessee for my surgery and have made sure to request an aisle seat. I had thoughts even before booking about being stuck on the inside and not being able to get out and move around. Good Luck to you on your upcoming wedding. The aisle seat isn't as important on the trip down, but will be on the trip back, even though I plan on staying a few mo.

I'm so glad you have chosen the path of lap banding. I'm not banded yet, but I too have done all the diet drugs. Unfortunately I had a heart attack because of them, so thank God that didn't happen to you. Everyone here is very supportive. I'm going to be banded in mid-April or early May I think, so I can't give you much info on being banded, except for the most part people seem happy with their bands. Here's to a better lifestyle for you, and welcome aboard.

Although I agree with DeCarla and am not sure what I just watched I enjoyed it. I'm not a trekkie either, so you'll have to explain is this really a movie or a spoof on StarWars. Either way Kudo's to you for a great job.

I see some pictures of something Paul, but I don't see a picture with you or anyone else in it. Am I doing something wrong?

As sorry as I felt for you, I was laughing through the tears. That post was precious and one that should be kept for future reference. What you went through was horrible, and like I said you handled yourself graciously, well except for the poor guy checking ID's I would most definitely talk to my dr. No one expects something like this to happen, nor would I want it to happen to me. Meat tenderizer...yuck sounds like that would make me sick, but hey it's worth a try. I'm glad getting it out in the open made you feel better. There is a lot to be said for having a group support you and understand where you are coming from.

I see no one has answered you. All I can say is OMG you poor thing. I'm not banded yet, but I've never read anything written with more definition, courage and humor. You have managed somehow above everything to keep your humor. I have heard of PB's (I'm not banded yet) and now you are making me think twice about it. I can't stand throwing up. I absolutely hate it, and I have no clue what happened to you, but bless your heart I certainly understand how you feel. I've never heard of a PB as bad as the one you describe, and trust me it was graphic , and my heart hurts for you. I would hate to go through this, and it would be embarrassing to be with people and have it happen. I hope come Monday morning you are going to contact your dr. I can only think maybe you need some of that fill taken out. I have no answers, but I wanted you to know someone hears you and cares. I would have been terrified and it seems you handled yourself gracefully given the horrible and terrifying sequence of events. God Bless You Sweetie and give your dr. a call. Vent if you want...you paid him...you earned it, and get some anwers to what happened to you. Please follow up. I'm curious about what happened to you.

I made a comment last night about newbies feeling excluded here in such a tight knit group. I got a nice private message today from someone who told me she felt bad I felt that way, and that I just needed to yell louder to be heard. It's hard to be accepted into a group of people who have become internet buddies, and yet the newbies really need your help. Most of you have experienced the things we are going to go through or are going through, and that is why we come here. Last night someone posted a picture of a lovely woman by the name of Blossom who had died. I have to admit it scared me because I didn't know her or if she had died during lap-banding surgery. Someone was kind enough to fill me in and I appreciate that, but it is things like that that make newbies feel strange. We didn't know her, and just a few words to relieve our minds how you lost her would have been appreciated rather than just a picture. I have to admit it scared the be jesus out of me thinking something had gone horribly wrong in surgery. Please take a moment when you post to realize a newbie has no clue what you are talking about when you discuss someone or something we have no knowledge of. Take a minute please and remember when you were new and before you became solid internet buddies and allow us some room to move into your hearts and get some good advice from you too. Thanks for the opportunity to speak my mind. We come here hoping for support on our new journey, or help coping with problems that arrise, and you can all be a great inspiration to us all. I enjoy each and every thread but sometimes become lost in the talk that goes on because I don't know the people or what you are referring to. Needless to say the special person that made me feel welcome was one who has had many problems of her own and whose posts I enjoy thoroughly. Thanks DeCarla for taking time out to write to me. You are an inspiration to everyone on this forum.

How do you advertise clothes on E.bay. Sounds interesting and I could make a small fortune, but won't change my mind about donating some of them either.

I loved Pretty Woman, and I too am a casual gal. I have kept everything...literally everything. I have size 10 up to size 22 and my closet is bulging at the seams. When I find out where I'm going to end up they have to go. I have gained and lost probably 1000 lbs. in my lifelong journey, but can never keep it off. I'm hoping the lap band is a tool that is going to serve me permanently, and then I'm donating all the clothes. I also love watching QVC and that doesn't help a bit.

Heart disease that has been resolved with bypass surgery is not considered a negative, but most certainly is a detriment if the problem has not been fixed. I have hypothyroidism and my dr. has said nothing about it in regards to the surgery. The part about hypertention surprises me, as this surgery is supposed to help people with hypertension possibly get off their meds. A lot of obese people have hypertension, along with sleep apnea and various other things that come along with just being obese (Lord I hate that word, but lack a better one). The fact is the surgery can reduce the amount of drugs or C-pap you may have to take, so having high blood pressure does not rule you out. I wish you all luck. I am looking forward to this journey with apprehension and hope. Does that make any sense? I am not that big an eater, but since my heart surgery I have lacked a lot of energy due to the loss of red blood cells that went on vacation during surgery. I remain somewhat fatigued and hope losing some weight helps me get more energy, and especially helps my feet from hurting. I could walk a mile were it not for them, but I think perhaps they are just carrying too much weight right now.

I had my gallbladder removed just one year after heart bypass surgery. I was concerned, but you know what it was a piece of cake. By the next day I felt OK, just a little sore. Just pamper yourself a little and you will be fine. I haven't been banded yet, but I do know that my gallbladder scars were merely held together with steristrips that fell off themselves. I feel so much better now that the nagging pain is gone, and it sure doesn't keep me from eating everything I ever did (unfortunately). If I had been thinking banded at the same time, I would definitely have had them done at the same time. Stay strong and happy. It isn't that bad.

Jack I would swear from your responses that you have a doctorate degree or a degree in psychology. How did one man get so smart? You give some great answers with some great compassion...both of which are strange for a man :scared: You also make a lot of sense, something most men don't do.