GreenChrysalis

Hi 88KEYZ, everything I have read about Darlene Zebley states that she is an ARNP (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner), not a doctor. While I have no doubt that she or other providers from FillCentersUSA can give excellent aftercare, I think it's important to be specific about this because some people prefer a doctor, especially one who has performed the surgery before.

You know, ColoradoCrazy, we're on to you. All you've ever posted about is not liking Dr. Kirshenbaum. It seems that someone who is about to be banded would be more positive and focused on their new lifestyle. Strangely, though, you're stuck on badmouthing another surgeon, so much so that you've posted negatively about him the same time last year. It must've been some consult to impact you so much that you're still on about it a year later. Even more strangely, you appear to be the only person who had this experience. As you may have noticed, Dr. Kirshenbaum has had enough happy patients to inspire multiple threads here. Many of us have referred others to him, because we have been so pleased with his combination of experience, compassion and affordability. So whatever you're trying to accomplish here, it's not likely to work. And if you are doing this solely to recruit patients elsewhere -- where there's smoke, there's fire and you have never responded to anybody -- it's a pretty underhanded and tacky thing to do.

Congrats, o dorky one, on the promotion and the award and the fantastic prize! So sorry about the home repair, though. I'd probably :eek: if that happened to me. I reported coloradocrazy to the mods, because it's fishy and I really get the suspicion that she's recruiting or something. That's probably why losingjusme stopped by. It's really sad that people have to be that way. That's the first time she's started a whole thread just to libel Dr. K. :tt2: Hurray to everyone in the Labor Day Challenge! Doesn't look like I'll meet my goal...sigh...but hey, I am still losing so what-ever! :thumbup:

Munchkin, I am so sorry about your fill doc. He sounds like a total ass. Was your conversation like this? :w00t: I want to use animated stuff more. It just makes me smile, even the dirty sexin' bananas! Seriously, though, I really hope you can talk to Dr. K and get the real scoop. I can't believe he wouldn't take anything out of your band when you can't eat solid food! :cool2: If you do go to Gold's, let me know what you think. I have been toying with joining one for awhile. They have a special right now, $59 to join, $15 a month, no contract. It is so tempting -- I think I would love the classes -- but I am so self-conscious/nervous about going. I think it must be in my future, though...eventually I am going to get burnt out just doing my DVDs at home (I love trying new ones via Netflix though). There's a gym where I work but it's not free. Well, it was free to try this month but I was too chicken to go, I didn't like the idea of any co-workers seeing me huff and puff! Ugh, I am so tired tonight. I'm on deadline and I need to write more ...just taking a quick break to see what's up with you gals. Congrats to those of you in Wonderland -- hope to be joining you soon. And to the new occupants of Twoterville, yay! :thumbup:

Yep, I am a sneaky one! I'm not really a Private Investigator, I just play one on the internet. :thumbup: I am skeptical of anybody who only posts to bash or speak glowingly about a surgeon. Speaking in extremes is always suspicious to me! I try to keep off the rose-colored glasses when talking about Dr. K with others and say, OK, I had a good experience but we are all different and you need to do what you feel is best for you. As long as you have done your research and feel confident in your choice, I would never say a word. I have noticed that when people do well they are inclined to talk about the surgeons like they are gods or rock stars -- sometimes with good cause! -- but realistically we know that Dr. Right for one person isn't Dr. Right for another, and no one doctor can be "the best" because so many people have had good experiences with so many different doctors. :thumbup:

Odd...:thumbup: you posted negatively about Dr. Kirshenbaum in September of last year also, and in this thread, but your consultation then was slightly different. What you described then, and now, is not anything close to what I or the other patients of Dr. Kirshenbaum that post here have experienced with him. You've also only posted a total of 5 times to this forum since you joined and have never replied to anyone. You've only posted to write negatively about Dr. Kirshenbaum, positively about Dr. Snyder or asking for recommendations for doctors in Colorado Springs. I've been on this forum long enough to know that some bariatric coordinators and other surgeon's employees come here to only bash another surgeon or post glowingly about the one they work for. I am not accusing you of this, and I know nothing about Dr. Snyder, but I think it's important for newer people to know that this happens. No doctor is perfect, and Dr. Right for one person may not be Dr. Right for another. We are all entitled to our own opinions and perceptions, of course. If you truly did have a negative experience, I apologize. However, you are in the minority. Best of luck.

Congrats jmegirl! I am very excited for you! Ohhh...that sounds like what I used to get at McDonalds, except you forgot the large Diet Coke to "wash it all down with." I mean, the apple pies are two for $1, how could you resist? :crying: And my husband was my partner in crime, except he got the double quarter pounder with cheese. I still hit up the McDonalds on occasion, but now I am quite content with getting a salad (and stealing a fry or two from my husband) or a Happy Meal if I'm really jonesing for the fries. I enjoy the toys, too, they are a reminder of how far I have come. Before, a Happy Meal was just a snack! I was thinking the other day that it would probably take me three or more sittings to finish the meal I used to get there. Just you wait, jmegirl, you will be there too, before you know it! :wink2: Marcy, I do the same thing. My heart just aches because there is no describing how miserable it is to be obese. I wish there were some nice way to say, look, you have probably tried every diet known to man...have you even considered this option? I certainly wish I'd gotten banded sooner and I wish someone could've told me in some way that I would've listened. But we all have to come to our own conclusions, in our own time, right?

Denvergirl ~ I have no idea why my family mentioned my hair. I do have roots, it's true, so why did my mom ask if I highlighted my hair? It is probably longer than it has been in a long time so that might be part of it. Who knows; they're a bunch of looneys. As for how much I eat post-surgery...it depends on what it is, but it's anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup most of the time. When I first started out I measured everything because I realized that I had no idea what 1/2 a cup of food really looked like! Bella ~ Listen to Dee, she is an expert! I have been following her chew and count suggestion for a long time and it works very well for me. It's basically automatic at this point. You may just be one of those people who has issues with pasta, so please be careful. I hope everyone is doing well. We (in Georgia) are getting lots and lots of rain thanks to T.S. Fay. I think there's still a flash flood watch. It was very hard to get up and go to work this morning, especially with hubby staying home sick. Very, very tempting to just stay cuddled up to him, but here I am!

Well, jmegirl, you could probably eat part of that burger you're describing once you're banded. As for how much your stomach can hold, we are all different -- I eat about 1/3 of what I used to and that works for me. I do eat burgers on occasion, but usually without the bun because soft bread gets stuck. Beyond that, for me, it's not about what I can eat but what I choose to eat. Beef doesn't generally agree with my stomach, and I feel better if I don't eat a big greasy burger, even if I am just eating part of it. The band restricts how much you eat, but you can still eat around it and sabotage yourself depending on the choices you make. For me, this is where therapy has helped. Food does not play the big important role in my life that it once did. I still enjoy it, but I am learning other ways to deal with my emotions and not feel deprived. I am learning that one bite of something is just as delicious as eating the whole thing. I do not have to eat it all to enjoy it. It is not worth it anymore. I don't have any foods (other than those I know will get stuck) that are completely off-limits...it is all about moderation. Why would I sabotage myself after spending that much money and putting in all of this hard work? Just my take on the whole thing.

The few times I've eaten there post-band (not with this group, I am sorry to say), I have gotten salads. There's a huge menu with plenty of band-friendly foods.

Hey, poop can be funny. I grew up with two younger brothers, so nothing disgusts me.

Deborgeon, yep, we're a tough bunch. My bowels were pretty out of whack for awhile and I did have to resort to taking milk of magnesia at one point. Stay hydrated. I use Benefiber to make sure I stay regular -- it's tasteless and dissolves in just about anything so it's not noticeable. But if you're just having diarrhea now, keep this in mind -- you're still on liquids, right? Liquids in = liquids out.

You should be just fine. I scheduled my surgery in December for February, and could've done it sooner if I'd been at my job long enough to have enough leave time. I think we can all understand the anxiousness and obsession; once you decide to do it, you're ready to get the show on the road!

Monday Morning Weigh-In ~ I am down another 2 pounds, which puts me exactly halfway to goal. Very exciting! I think of myself as about two weeks "behind" but I need to stop thinking that way. Lowbmier ~ I am not local, so I do my fills with another doc. But I still would not hesitate to call Dr. K's office any time I had an issue or a question. They really emphasize that you should feel free to do that. Although I am going to another doc, I feel that I am one of Dr. K's patients for life. Deborgeon ~ So glad you're doing well and had a great experience! Welcome to bandland! I did still to the liquids for two weeks; I was pretty nervous about messing anything up so I was extra-careful. If you do decide to transition to mushies, just take it slow. Bella ~ I am so sorry you are getting discouraged! I have known many people who met their loves online, but 99% of them did not meet through a dating site but through mutual interests on email lists, forums, groups, etc. That may be the way to go. It will come to you, probably when you least expect it. You deserve the best and you deserve someone who accepts you for who you are at this very moment. But right now, I think -- and this is just my opinion, of course -- that you should focus on loving yourself. Munchkin ~ Good grief, what awful neighbors! I hope that this can be resolved with a minimum of $$ spent. You are right, this is not the time to be trying to sell a house and move. I hope that you get your restriction situation sorted out too. Stress is probably not helping. Mdargen, I'd second Dee on the fills. I have had four. The first three sort of faded off after 3-4 weeks, but the fourth one is still going strong after 6 weeks. My fill doc believes that it's because I have probably lost the fat pad around the stomach, so the band is actually on the muscle now. I can still eat very normally (very few problem foods) and I am losing weight steadily, so I consider that perfect. But we are all different. I could not put it better, Lap! My husband is fantastic about telling me that he loves me and always has been, but over the years he has also realized that emptying the dishwasher, running errands, doing laundry, accompanying me on stressful family outings...all of those things definitely tell me that he loves me! And I am loving all the vids you are posting, also. DenverGirl ~ I think you have already gotten a lot of good suggestions for the pre-op diet. For breakfast I usually ate an omelet with ham & veggies, lunch was salad with turkey or chicken and cheese, dinner was steak or fish with veggies. And Jello and sugar-free popsicles to calm the sweet tooth. Welcome to the newbies I'm seeing here -- I hope all goes well for you! Well, the family lunch on Saturday wasn't bad...at least from the eating perspective. The food was great. It was an all-day breakfast kind of place, and very health-conscious. I got scrambled eggs with salmon and cream cheese (no salmon problems here!), a whole-wheat biscuit and a fruit cup. Ate around half of it -- hubby finished off the fruit -- and boxed up the rest as usual. No issues eating at all. My dad also got the same entree but with a regular biscuit and grits. Then after hearing what I ordered, said he should've gotten the same thing and talked about how the carbs would mess with his blood sugar -- he's a diabetic. Oh well Dad, you make your choices and I'll make mine. That's typical of my father. No comments on the weight loss...strangely both my brother and mom mentioned my hair, which is the same as always but longer, with growing-out highlights because I haven't yet decided what to do with it next. But really I am OK with that. I will keep telling myself, that anyway, and one day I will believe it.

Thanks for the hugs, Shel, and the kind words. I really appreciate it and it's nice to know I am not the only one in situation. I'm pretty sure that's how I will handle it as well, should it come up. You are absolutely right, they cannot have power over me any longer.

Lap ~ I own Dr. Ortiz's book -- I bought it in 2005 when I first started learning about lapband surgery -- and I still refer to it on occasion. There's a lot of good information in there. I even considered going down there to have surgery but I am glad that I went with Dr. K of course! Bookholder ~ My PBs are never "pinkish goo" either, more like you describe. A glob of whatever got stuck, and lots of slime. Ew. ShelbiCallie ~ I don't think that the FDA has actually issued a black box warning for Chantix just yet (I recently wrote an article on drug side effects and I don't recall seeing it) but lots of medical professionals, consumer groups, etc are advocating it. My mother wanted to go on it -- she has been told to quit smoking but hasn't managed to -- but her doctor refused because she has a long history of depression and is bi-polar. TGIF everybody! I have a family lunch tomorrow, a big source of anxiety for me. Eating in front of them has always been nerve-wracking. Since I was banded, it's even more so. The question in my mind every time I see them is, will they notice the weight loss? If they notice, will they say anything? If they say anything, what will I say in return? And of course I have to really focus myself so that I eat properly while still participating in the conversation. :eek:

Lap ~ Ugh, back stuff is just nasty. I'm glad you got it figured out, though, and I hope that you get some relief from the pain soon! Dee ~ I hope the talking helped even if the therapist isn't a good fit. I quit going to a therapist once because she couldn't remember important things about me. I'm not sure why she was taking notes if she wasn't going to refer back to them! Brandymom ~ OMG, such an adorable puppy! I vote for Snickers as a name also. It's just so cute and cheerful, like I'm sure she will be. Bella ~ I hope you can get some help with your emotional eating. The band can't do anything about what's going on in your head, and if you're turning back to smoking to substitute for food, that's a bad sign. Please do take care of yourself! Me? Well, I'm miserable because my husband gave me his cold. Snot city, sore throat, sneezing, coughing, can't taste anything...you know the drill. Of course I'm still slogging ahead, because as we all know, women are stoic about such things in comparison to men. :smile2:

Lifesaver: OMG, that's scary! I hope you're OK. Your commitment is pretty impressive! ShelbiCallie: A 14er is a basically a mountain that is 14,000 feet or higher above sea level. Colorado has the most of any state in the U.S. Such a beautiful state. AdorKable: Maybe you are overdoing it so close to surgery? Sounds worrisome; I hope your surgeon can set your mind at ease. Dee: Just sending you hugs is all.

Deboregon, no "Yuck" from me, especially since you had a hard time booking a hotel. Maybe because of the Democratic Convention, even though it doesn't start for another week? I have stayed in many perfectly fine Sleep Inns. Honestly, as long as it's clean and comfortable, that's all that really counts. Good luck and I look forward to hearing about your experiences when you get back! :wink2:

Congratulations AdorKable! :wink2:

Quick note to DenverGirl: Caffeine is OK. I don't recall anything said about gum but I have sworn it off just because I know some people have had issues with it. Other no-nos are carbonated beverages and straws. As for the protein shakes, Paula said those were the exception to the "no snacking" rule. I don't drink protein shakes between meals anymore. I drink them occasionally if I do need something between meals, or even in place of a meal if I am in a hurry. But I am able to meet my protein goals and feel full with solid food alone and I think that's better for me. It's worked so far.

I've been out of the loop for awhile so this is my long reply post to various things I've seen here. But first, hurray, I finally have broken 60 pounds gone! Thanks everyone for the congrats on my progress! I love this group. Whenever I'm feeling doubtful or down about myself, I can always find something here to cheer me up. :wink2: Monday Morning Weigh In-- I have lost 2.5 pounds. My first week with more than a 1 pound weight loss in awhile, so I am happy. I weighed myself 3 times this morning just to be sure. :smile: AdorKable -- So glad that you made it through the gallbladder surgery OK. I have heard that it's pretty painful and it sounds like that is correct. Bleh. I hope that you're feeling all better soon. And thanks for commenting on the PB situation. BrandyMom1234: SparkPeople.com is a really cool health/fitness website. You can track all of your food and water intake, including specific nutrients and vitamins if you choose. It creates neat spreadsheets and graphs. You can use their plan or just set your own. You can also track your exercise and set goals. It has a lot of helpful articles and videos on healthy living, recipes, exercise and more. There are also forums and Spark Teams for different interests, ages, challenges, etc. And it's all free. I sound like an ad, but I really do enjoy the site a lot and would suggest that anybody give it a try. :smile: Tropicana: I think you should just contact Natalie (the bariatric coordinator, email and phone number on Dr. K's website) and explain your situation. None of us can tell you for sure if Dr. K would accept you as a patient or not. Good luck! DynamoMini: It is so good to see you around! I have been wondering about you. I am sorry that you've been having a difficult time of it. I hope you keep up your spirits, you know we are all rooting for you. DenverGirl: You will make it through that pre-op diet. Just keep your eyes on the prize at the end and it'll be over before you know it! Thanks for your good wishes. I did get a massage on Saturday to celebrate. :tt2: Dee: You must know how very loved and cherished you are here -- you always inspire me. I am so sorry that you're feeling blue. I hope that you're soon seeing the light again. :frown: Munchkin: I have found therapy very helpful in getting my brain around the transformation that I am going through as well as loving myself. After being "the fat girl" for so long, part of me is very worried as to who I will be once I can't describe myself that way anymore. I have used my fat as insulation, as an excuse not to try new things and take chances. I have made assumptions about people -- "they will not like me because I am so fat, so why bother?" -- because of it. Once it is gone, I will have to find a new way. It's tough. 9pdmnm5: I had my surgery at Crown Pointe and it was a really good experience overall. Very pretty there, clean, comfortable, friendly staff. Can't say anything about Englewood as I've never been. Minidriver: That adorable little sleepin' face! That wee little fistie! You're killing us here with those photos. :tt2: Well folks, I need to work! Don't talk too much until I check back in again, OK? :tt2:

Mini ~ Your typo was great. Wishful thinking? :tongue_smilie: I'm pretty sure I'd look like a walking talking skeleton at 105 (I'm 5'10", medium bone structure). Adorable grandbaby pix! Brandymom1234 ~ Personally I don't care for WW. I did it three times, could never keep the weight off. I didn't like the point-counting, the platitudes or the shaming after weigh-ins; I just didn't feel supported with it. I went to meetings & did some online; now I see how silly I was to pay to do it online when SparkPeople has better resources and it's free. But that was just me, if you can do it for free and think it will help you, why not? So today is my sixth-month bandiversary! I really wanted to be halfway to goal, which is 63.5 pounds gone. But that's OK. There are so many victories...today I realized that I'd gone all summer without getting sweat rashes in my fat rolls and inner thighs, like I have for the last couple of years. That's certainly something right there. :biggrin:

Hey Lotza, it is totally normal to gain weight when you start on solids and before your fill. Really, it is. Your band isn't really working yet (very few people keep restriction just from the band), so it's all you and that's tough. Plus you are still healing and your body is still getting used to this big change. Your first fill should make a huge difference! So no more beating up on yourself, OK? :crying:

All doctors are different but you really need to adhere to the rules of yours. Mine is no drinking 30 mins before or after meals. I really do believe that drinking with meals makes the food go through faster, which defeats the purpose of the band. It seems difficult to get used to at first (just like all of my doc's other rules, which include no straws, no gum, no soda), but it quickly becomes a way of life. I have taken a sip of Water when eating something too spicy but that's it. It isn't really a sacrifice when you're seeing how your diligence and hard work can pay off. Yes, we all slip up at times and different things work for different people. But this is a lifestyle change and in order to see results, you have to follow through. Just my two cents. Good luck.