Dody

I just noticed you had your surgery in Idaho. I'm from Idaho but getting my surgery done at my daughter's in Tennessee. One reason is because Idaho only has those 2 surgeons who do the surgery and they don't accept Medicare patients. They also didn't have the track record I was looking for of having done thousands of patients, but I'm sure they are fine. You seem to be doing exceptionally well. I leave April 10 to fly to my daughter's and meet with the dr. on April 13. I have all my post-op work done. I'm older than most of you, and not definite he will even do me, but I'm sure counting on it and it sounds pretty positive. I have permission from my heart dr. and GP. We aren't very far apart at all. I stay in Tennessee a good part of the year and in Idaho some of the time, but own a residence here. Glad you are doing so well. I went to one of the seminars here. Dr. Cahn is truly a short little guy isn't he? I worked as a medical transcriptionist for years and years at St. Als and St. Lukes and then in later years at home. I also was an ER nurse, so I worked pretty hard during my younger years.:sick It is now time to rest and take care of me and weight is the first issue. I weight 270 lbs. and believe it or not I gained it all after quitting smoking. I still would trade the weight for the horrible habit, but wish I had handled it differently. Keep in touch with me and PM me if you ever feel like it. I don't like to put too much personal info out there.

If someone else ate that many calories in one day you would support them. That's what this site is about. Everyone falls off the wagon sometimes, but you have to just love yourself enough to get back on and know you are worth it. Don't hate yourself over one mistake. Just learn from it. Everyone here has done something wrong at some point or we wouldn't be hear learning from each other. Put those calories behind you and concentrate on the ones in the future. :scared:

There are times when skin touches skin and produces this redness and swelling. It's pretty common and very irritating and honestly is caused by yeast. Lamisil works wonders at getting rid of it permanently. You might want to give it a try. It is great stuff. You can buy it generically, but actually the real thing is much better. Hope you feel better. I always have it on hand.

Bad news, phentermines are pure speed. They hype you up, make the heart pump too fast, and are dangerous. Please don't even consider them.

My pets are my babies, now that the babies are grown. My heart would break if anything happened to them. It is undeniably cruel to dump pets like that. I would rather see them dropped off at the animal shelter than to just dump them in someone's yard. I too would have taken them in. Someone knew you had a kind heart perhaps, but shame on them for doing this. You will be rewarded in heaven. The best treat in the world is love.

Requiring a man to do two things at one time is asking a lot :scared: Talking on the phone and eating do not mix.

I appreciate the feedback. I did post an intro under the Tennessee thread, but perhaps it got overlooked. I'm not going to be banded till late April as I'm battling an ulcer right now. I will be with family when I have my surgery and my youngest daughter is a nurse. I have 5 children and am 64 years old. A little old to be a newbie huh? This is something I have to do for myself though to add years to my life. Can you be new and old at the same time? :scared:

I haven't been banded yet, but I'm just wondering if people are having a beer, why then can't I have my diet soda?

Wellbutin should only be taken if you are trying to quit smoking, not if you are planning on continuing. Most anti-depressant and anxiety meds are habit forming, but sometimes the effect they have is worth being addicted if you understand what I'm saying. I suffer from panic attacks that are horrible and Xanax prevents them. I would rather be addicted to the Xanax then ever to have another panic attack. They feel like heart attacks. Doctors will tell you that Zoloft is not addictive. I hope you will trust me as a retired nurse to tell you it is addictive in the sense it makes you feel better and you therefore continue taking it. It's like smoking....it's an addiction. For some people taking an anti-depressant or anxiety med, regardless of addiction, is better than the effects felt without it. Some people can't live a normal life without some help from meds.

If you can get away with having a beer, why on earth do I have to have my Dr. Pepper confiscated? Carbonation is carbonation in any form. Any chance I can take a few sips of it once in awhile. I'm going to have withdrawal if they take that and my root beer away from me. I have a friend who had gastric bypass and she lives on soda pops. Why is the band so different? Wouldn't it be OK if it wasn't excessive? Really would love to hear if anyone ever has a soda pop. Am I wrong in thinking all that foam on beer is caused from carbonation? I don't drink beer, and I never have, but I would love to know if I can get that Dr. Pepper down. As far as wine goes I can't even drink it now. It gives me heartburn for some reason, just as champagne does, so I stay away from it. More than anything I will miss my soda pop.

If calming your nerves is the problem you are probably better off with Xanax or Valium. Effexor is an anti-depressant. In my case it made my heart beat very fast and I couldn't handle it. Everyone is different though. I spent a period of time on Prozac and wanted to hurt everyone in sight :scared: I have finally found a drug called Celexa that makes me feel much better. You nerves being shot and being depressed are really two completely different agendas. I couldn't live without my Xanax as I get panic attacks really bad. If you are a smoker Wellbutrim is not right for you, as it actually is used to help stop smoking, so it's not really a good choice if you aren't quitting (which of course you should as we all know). There are some great drugs out there for a variety of symptoms. You just need to talk with your doc and explain what is bothering you.

I'm not banded yet, but can only imagine what you are going through. It is a scary journey to take alone, but I'm sure there are some great people on here that have probably been right where you are. Perhaps you are very swollen. You will probably feel better when you have the barium swallow. I think it must scare everyone a little to know they have changed their body and their eating habits. I know it is going to scare me, and I'm probably going to regret it for a week or two, but everyone here seems to come around and is happy with their band. There are problems that you read about, and I surely hope you aren't one of these, but try and think positive thoughts for now until someone who knows more than me can help you out. Have faith that you made the right decision and you are just going through a tough time. I've heard people suggest warm liquids, perhaps that would help.

I had to quit smoking 5 years ago because of heart problems. It was the toughest thing I ever did, and I'm now the worse non-smoker in history. I can't stand to be around it. It's the best thing I ever did for myself. I can walk by someone in a parking lot and tell you if they are a smoker. The smell gets into your skin and clothes and never goes away till you have quit for good. I wish everyone luck on their journey. It is a dangerous habit for sure. I have the stents in my arteries to prove it. Smokers often don't think that smoke clings to anything they wear and in their hair, but it does. It also ages people and gives them lines around their mouth, not to mention shortness of breath. I know talking about it won't make anyone quit, but think about being around for your children and grandchildren, and not wanting them to pick up this habit. It is deadly.

We have been commenting in our house how much Ace looks like my youngest grandson. I better lock him up from you women. Now my Ace is only 17, so that makes him jailbait for all of you, so remember that :scared: My Ace is named Dallas though, but he plays the guitar and has his own band and is pretty terrific (even if I'm prejudice) and the phone never stops ringing for him with girls, girls, and more girls and he seems oblivious to all the attention. His life revolves around music. I wish he had tried out for a show like this. I think Ace this year is Bo Bice last year!! The girls and women of all ages love him, but some of those girls have fantastic voices, especially the one who is the youngest of the group. Nice to see some fun discussion on here.

So many of you here may jump at the chance to denounce me, but I think this board is "run" by just a few people who seem to call all the shots. They either like you, accept you, or plain out ignore all your posts. I'm not into pointing fingers, but some people never respond to my posts, but then again I don't agree with a lot of their posts. A lot of people are personal friends, which is a great thing, but often makes a newbie feel totally excluded and unwanted. That is just my opinion. I continue to read and try and contribute, and yes even volunteer that I am scared of the impending surgery, but most of you talk among yourselves like newbies don't exist at all. Shouldn't this forum be for everyone and everyone treated alike? Just my 2 cents. I think friendship is a beautiful thing, but not at the exclusion of other people who sometimes have no clue what you are talking about to each other.

I'd be happy to split my Xanax pills with you Sue. I think being without Valium or Xanax is a disability for sure. :confused:

I think even my money says "In God We Trust". It's a very good motto.

Phentermine came along before the dredded phen-fen. It is a dirivative of it. Dangerous to say the least. I know I took it and had a heart attack on it. Lucky you came thought it alright. If you have a good family physician they are usually willing to document that you have constantly tried to lose weight while under their care, especially if you have been with them for years and they know of your battle. Meridia is counted, and I have no clue why, because it is the absolute worse diet pill ever invented. Talk to your family dr. and see if you can get a letter that you have battled weight issues under his/her care. My dr. did it for me willingly.

Kirstie Alley is the only one I believe is truly doing this on Nutrisystem. I believe her because she is losing slowly, but she is looking better all the time. She is also their spokesperson and they supply all her food, etc., even a personal trainer (like she could't afford her own). I doubt they would be sticking their reputation on the line if she wasn't doing this on Nutrisystem. She looks great, but the change has not been drastic very quickly. Bad part is once you go off it (and most people do) they start right back eating the way they used too. Kirstie lost a lot of weight before and put it back on just like all the rest of us. Gosh it must be horrible to be in the public spotlight all the time. As far as Star Jones goes, I have no doubt she had gastric bypass, but she is such an idiot that I don't pay that much attention to her. Anyone who marries a gay man has more problems than just weight!! (and yes it is well documented he has been in past relationships with men from a very young age, and this didn't come from a sleeze magazine). Star Jones doet protest too much!! This is much the same as Liza Minelli marrying David Guess who is also very gay. They have siome deeper issues then their weight they are carrying around.

Dr. Billings is well-known in the Seattle area and exceptionally well qualified at what he does. Now, that doesn't mean necessarily that this is him, but this is his legitimate phone # that I know. I guess I'm being overly cautious but Dr. Billings is spelled with an S. It seems he would know how to spell his own name. Am I being overly cautious?

One question not answered is where did he think the money came from; what was it meant for; and what did he do with it. I hope he gave it back. Men...I miss mine horribly. He never, ever forgot Valentine's Day and to tell me he loved me, but he died 10 years ago. I miss him with every breath I take.

My dr. says these people used to breathe almost completely through their mouth and had to retrain themselves to go to sleep breathing just through their nose. If you truly are getting dry mouth all the time you are being deprived in some way of the proper amount of CPAP and may be on the wrong dosage. It is worth discussing with your doctor. For some reason you still feel the need to breathe through your mouth even with the CPAP on, which you shouldn't. Hope it gets easier for you.

Horray for you and your great weight loss Irene. I am not banded yet, but hope to be within the next couple months. Sounds like you have breezed through this with little or no problems. That is the stuff dreams are made of. I lived in Mainz, Germany for 5 years and traveled all of Germany, Switzerland, France, etc. I especially love Bavaria. I still have wonderful memories of trips to King Ludwig's Castle. It is like a second home to me, and I'm anxious to go back there to visit the many friends I met there. My dad was born in Germany and I used to speak it fluently. Unfortunately it's been years and Ich habe meine Hausaufgaben leider nicht gemacht!!

I sleep on my back, which is a good thing I think. I'm pre-band, but go to sleep on my back and wake up without a cover ruffled. I am on C-pap, so the ability to sleep on my back has been really a good thing for me. I didn't have to learn something I wasn't used to. For the side sleepers and tummy sleepers I bet there is pain involved, and we don't have any control over what we are doing when we are sleeping. I'm sure from what I've read on here that it is your port letting you know you are sleeping on it and rebelling. Good luck to you. I hope to join you soon on this journey, and I'm sure I'll be full of questions too.

It sounds like your long journey in some ways destroyed the life and livelihood you had before. Did they ever figure out what made you so sick. I would be horrified to get a letter like that in the mail as I'm sure you were. I would certainly be looking for another surgeon. This one seems callous. I think this is the first incident I have ever heard of of being fired by a doctor. Bless you...you have had a rough road, but this forum and the members are awesome and many have had serious problems. Is your insurance a big issue at the time? Sometimes that is the only word that doctors hear is "insurance". You mentioned you had lost your benefits when you lost your job. What a world we live in that insurance is the key word in getting good care. Keep everyone posted. I feel for you. Keep looking for that doctor to get you on the right road again. They are out there. There are good lap band doctors and bad, just as in any occupation. You seem to have met one of the bad ones.