HeatherO

I would have to agree with MacMadame. No one ever paid me to lose weight . . . it was the other way around where I was paying for this or that to try and lose. Making money wasn't motivation but I still couldn't keep it off until I was banded. I lost the weight for all the "right" reasons but my insatiable hunger eventually bested my efforts.

Yayy Beth . . . that is awesome.

Congratulations Fanny, I love your new avatar pic by the way. Your hair looks great as well in the new pics in the photo albums.

I have had my first really awful night in pregnancy. If you asked me yesterday I would have said I had a few bad nights . . . but this one blows the rest out of the Water. I found out we were having company for the weekend unexpectedly first thing this morning late last night. Being this far along in pregnancy, my house is not up to par and needed a good cleaning everywhere. So I stayed up late and my husband and I cleaned from top to bottom and had to modify the babies room from less baby to more guest. He did all the floors and anything really manual while I dusted, wiped, rearranged, etc. I couldn't get comfortable when I went to sleep eventhough it was 2AM and I was soo tired. I woke up at 3 AM and could hardly move. My lower back hurt soo bad, not like contractions but like sciatica but it was extreme. I swear I hobbled and groaned slowly to the bathroom (which is connected to our bedroom and all of 10 feet away). It was a real effort to get there. I am still having trouble this morning. I had to hobble the million mile stretch to the bathroom in order to take a hot bath before I could even move enough to go downstairs. For the first time in my life, descending the stairs seemed the equivalent of scaling a mountain. I have found that if I sit for a while or lay for a while . . . I get really bad again. However, if I keep moving it is almost as if it keeps the juices flowing and keeps the pain to an ache instead of a roar. I don't even know what the heck I did to put me in this position. I figure either I just overdid it last night or the baby is coming soon. I am really looking forward to a bath tonight, a massage, and some blessed sleep at the end of this looonnngggg day.

That is awesome and I am so happy you are reaching the final leg of the journey after coming so far. Good luck with everything.

Lol, now that you mention it . . . I weigh less than what my drivers license says I do for the first time in my life. However, that is a fluke in that I kept losing beyond expectations.

I agree with you.

If I were her, I am not sure I would say anything about how much . . . it is just tabloid fodder. I am soo happy I don't have people following me around trying to take fat or skinny pics to post on magazine covers for the purpose of poking fun. My weight always stressed me out in the heavier days, I think she must have it so much more difficult in having everyone criticize her choices and weight changes. I really hope she finds success and I think she would make an excellent spokesperson for banding if she gave it a go and was successful. Whatever route she takes I hope she finds what she is looking for and I wish her the best of luck. It is definitely a painful and personal struggle.

Actually, I love this meal it is great for lunch.

Ohhh, oohhh, I wanna win . . . me, me, me, me. me!!!!

I really truly believe that wls just brings underlying issues more to the surface. Problems become more apparent and you have to be willing to work through them as a couple. I also agree that sometimes people settle for less than what they need out of fear that they may not be able to find something better. Once you build up confidence and feelings of self worth, things that were just OK in the past become intolerable for the future. I think this happens with any life changing events with wls just being one example of many. I don't think anyone comes through unscathed with major changes . . . you are either torn further apart or melded closer together but things can never remain the same. In my case, banding has really strengthened my marriage. Lifestyle changes of this magnitude are not easy but my DH has supported me all along the way and I can attribute a good part of my success to his faith in me and encouragement. We learned more about each other through this process than I would have ever thought possible.

LJM, so good to see you posting. I can understand the short attention span, lol . . . I suffer from that myself. Your right about the gazillion pictures but I always look. The baby is such a cutie (I especially love the baby burrito) and I honestly can't believe he is almost 4 months old, he definitely has outgrown the newborn look. Hello everyone else!!! I hope you have a lovely Memorial Day weekend.

I am going to wait on the pump until after the baby is here. I actually had a surprise baby shower at work yesterday and ended up with a gift certificate to Baby's R Us for $185. I think all of some portion of that might just be the pump after she comes. :0) CherryBlue . . . I feel your pain with the leg cramps. I had to drive an hour an MBA class yesterday night and I found that I was getting a horrible cramp in my foot by depressing the gas pedal. I actually had to use my cruise control. I get really bad leg/foot cramps now so I have been trying to eat more bananas (my mum always told me to do this) and using massage to try and work it out. I noticed my rings are a little tight as well and I had another week with a huge gain (4 pounds or so). I think it might be Water weight but my blood pressure is normal so I am not too concerned. Warning - maybe TMI . . . I am pretty sure I lost my mucus plug on Monday while I was fishing with my husband. I wasnt sure until I spoke to my ob today but now I am sure that is what it was. I was confused because I thought it was supposed to be discolored with a tinge of blood but it wasn't like that, there was no blood at all. My ob also told me today that I am 1 centimeter dialated. That allowed me to get really excited for all of 20-30 seconds before she then said that all it means is that my body is preparing for delivery . . . which could be this weekend or a couple of weeks from now. Darn . . . I was hoping that it meant that this daily discomfort would be over really soon, lol. All it really means is that I will have a baby sometime over the next several weeks (which I already suspected to be the case, lol). Also . . . have any of you noticed that people always tell you in the last bit of pregnancy to "enjoy your sleep while you can get it." What sleep are they referring to? (perhaps they have never been pregnant or have blissfully forgotten the experience) --> Is it the continuous uncomfortable tossing and turning to find a position that is slighly less terrible than the last. --> Or is it the waking up with an occasional unexpected but exceedingly painful leg cramp? --> Or is it the waking up sooo hot because your husband has lovingly tucked the covers around you for the umpteenth time until you look like an eskimo (and it is almost June). --> Or is it the 3rd, 5th or millionth time you got up to pee in the middle of the night? Lol, I need this baby to come so I can get a little rest between feedings. It has to be better than what it is like now.

I think the tight feeling in your chest sounds somewhat normal for being less than a week out from banding. However, it is impossible to tell if it is the same as what I felt or something different from just a post. I was walking the next day after banding but was definitely a little sore. I just didn't go very far or for very long and stopped when I became uncomfortable. If you are concerned you should call your doctor. Everyone heals differently and it is best to keep the doctor informed just in case there is an issue. Good luck and keep us posted.

I was very diligent and cautious about getting all my vitamins and protein in but I still had some loss. It doesn't prevent it altogether but I suspect that my hair loss would have been a lot worse had I not been careful with my protein/vitamin intake.

Tracy and Judy, have fun on your trips. Kat, I think some people are always looking for someone to blame so you can't take it personal. Banding works great for most, occasionally goes wrong for some. It is a risk we all decided to take without knowing which side of the fence we would fall on. I am really, truly sorry about your SIL. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy and I really hope she recovers fully with a workable band and no more problems. Michelle, my distaste for PTA politics is growing with every post. Thank goodness you are almost done . . . you deserve better after so many years with wine and roses and thank yous being the bare minimum. Pamela, I am soo happy for you. That is a nice raise and I hope you and Sus do something really special to celebrate like a little getaway together. After all, as my husband can attest, partners definitely make sacrifices (at least in time missed being together or extra stress) when you are working and going to school at the same time. I know there were times I felt like pulling my hair out when I had a hefty assignment due, little time to do it, was pregnant and cranky and my dh would bring me something cold to drink, or massage my shoulders or just sit near with the laptop and some headphones just to be supportive. Terry, hang in there and just imagine all the purple power surrounding you. We are all thinking about you and hoping things improve quickly. Everyone else have a lovely Memorial Day weekend.

I got in a rut with food choices as well after being banded for a while. The trick is just to add something new in every once in a while. You don't have to change everything all at once, just do one thing different every day. Your body will thank you for it. Eventhough you can take vitamins, it is still better to get them through healthy food choices. One thing I found is after eating eggs every single day for months . . . I can almost never eat them now. I got bored almost out of my mind with them and can barely tolerate them now. Eventually you will probably get sick of the same old same old.

My weight no longer consumes my every thought. It doesn't prevent me from going anywhere or doing anything confidently. I can shop anywhere for cute things . . . even the misses section. There is never a need to buy matronly outfits just so that they fit. I look at my old clothes and think, yuck, but they were the best that I could find that covered me sufficiently. I can wear a modest swimsuit without being ashamed. food doesn't occupy my every thought like it used to. In the past, I was thinking about what I was going to eat for every meal before the prior meal was even finished. I used to even dream about food but not anymore. I can eat and be satisfied for hours. I used to always be hungry again 20-30 minutes later. Best of all, I am now just me . . . not heavy me or thin me, but just who I am as a person. Weight has lost most of its relevance in my life and is not so much of a concern. I still watch what I eat and get exercise but that is just a small part of my life. Food used to be everything and now it can be an afterthought most of the time.

I would definitley suggest a fill under flouro . . . that way you can easily see what is going on. Also, are they withdrawing the fluid at each fill to check your levels? That can tell you if you have a leak or not.

I have been in the same boat before and an unfill is the only thing that can help. If you were already having some issues with reflux previously then you were probably a little too tight to begin with and it may have just been a matter or time before you came to this point after a pb episode. Also, after you pb or bring food back up, it can cause your stomach to swell which causes you to keep pb'ing until it gets progressively worse. You sound like you are already a bit dehydrated and that accounts for the rapid loss (once you rehydrate you will gain a little and that loss will be smaller). You may not have slipped at all but are just dealing with swelling. Once the doctor does a bit of an unfill, you will probably feel immediate relief. I am happy that you are getting in today, if you have been having this problem since Sunday, that is a long time to suffer through it.

Wow, she must have had a significant issue with fibroids to have to go through two surgeries. I am surprised that she was capable of successfully carrying 8 babies.

Hello Vi's, I have been a little busy and not posting quite as much. It seems like the moment I have a little down time - I just wanna take a nap, lol. I haven't been to a rodeo either but there are not quite so many to choose from up in Ohio. Perhaps one day . . . I think it would be interesting. I did go to the Texas state fair near Dallas once. The biggest thing I remember that really surprised me is that people walked around chowing down on massive Turkey legs. I had never seen this before, we don't do it here. It kind of made me think of caveman cartoons with the massive turkey leg in one hand and the other wrapped around a cavewomans hair dragging her along, lol. I like scones with tea or coffee as well. I like lemon scones or the ones that are cranberry orange. I havent had one in years. I loved Carson's pictures but I also thought the black lace was a little odd as a choice. They were all adorable, and I agree, his little tushy is absolutely darling. Have a happy Tuesday everyone!!!

CherryBlue, my son is now 17 . . . so there is a bit of an age difference :0). Laura, I am thinking about holding off on buying a pump until after delivery so I can gauge how things are going . . . your thoughts? ejmdiva, I would switch too after all that. How frustrating, but it is probably better to happen now then 2 months from now if it has to happen. I really like my OB doctor but sometimes I wait for over an hour to see her. It seems liek a lot of my friends are going through the same thing as well . . . a lot of waiting. It wasn't that way with yearly paps, but I think they might just schedule those differently. How's everyone feeling? I found that if I sit for too long, or if I am sleeping, it is getting realllllyyyy hard to change positions. I am definitely getting a lot of sciatic pain and I can't hardly stand to sit on my dining room chairs anymore, they are just too hard.

Congrats everyone on your December babies to be :0)

Aligmamma, twins are such exciting news. I am very happy for you :0). Congratulations!!!!