brandyII

sdbeachmom, thanks for popping in after five years, it's a whole other perspective we don't always get!:smile:brandyII

Dustydog, Just make sure you get some sleep tomorrow night when you're home! I remember the night before surgery I couldn't sleep and like you all had to get up early for the first surgery of the day but I got to sleep during the surgery. It really was the easiest surgery I've been through and I've had my share, take care to both of you brandyII. My daughter just had gastric bypass surgery less than two weeks ago, had a private room and I would have spent the night but found it wasn't really necessary for her and she didn't want me to. It's better for you to get a good night sleep so you can take care of her when she comes home the next day jmo, brandyII.

Lizzy, That sounds like fun. My eldest daughter has the playstation III, I think that's the newer one and I kind of wish she had gotten the wii instead. She got it just so she could play Guitar Hero which I hate!!! Anyway have fun with the wii, I'm jealous. brandyII:glare:

You got me there, I guess what I was referring to and a lot of women have shared is that when men get "sick" with a cold or something it's always the end of the world. If you've seen a lot of posts from women in general complaining of pain and I probably have seen them too I apologize. I guess in general as we birth babies we're considered to have higher tolerances to pain, not that we do it pain free of course! But I agree that the surgery in general was probably the easiest one I have ever had. I even stayed the night, my choice, to avoid any complications as I've been know to be a "bleeder" as I've gone through varicose vein surgery and have had three significant bleeding episodes since then and didn't want to go through that with all the incisions on my stomach area. Didn't happen with the lap band surgery and the only pain I remember was related to the gas that was still in my system and walking helped with that. They didn't give me a pain pump, just tylenol extra strength but the only thing I really needed was to get some rest as we all know surgery will take it out on you. Sorry didn't mean to offend, brandyII:smile:

Wow Dustydog, what a great husband you are!! I spent the night too and didn't get that much sleep there, not sure why but I didn't. It was my choice to spend the night and I made it because I wanted to be sure there weren't any comps as I've gone through many outpatient surgeries prior. I would have done better just going home to my own bed! Just make sure that she knows she can count on you to take care of the things that she normally did around the house and she doesn't have to worry about it while she's recuperating. I don't remember being in that much pain when it came to the incisions per se it was mainly gas pains in my stomach area and the walking I did helped with that. She should be able to tell you what she needs and you sound like you're a great husband and will do well anyway! Maybe other lap banders who had surgery recently could come up with better ideas as it's been a while for me but I wish you both luck tomorrow and I'm sure she'll do fine, take care, brandyII:smile:

Jachut, It's very true. I went into getting the lap band and knowing that I may lose slower, and I was ok with that and also that I may not lose as much, for example percentage wise and I was ok with that too. As I weighed 252 I did not want nor expect to get down to 125 again. Not that it's bad I knew I had difficulties staying at such a low weight for me. I've had to come to terms with many things when it comes to weight the amount I wanted to weigh is one of them. I still don't know where I want to be or where I will be in the future. That for now is not going to be my focus but I did use 200 pounds as my first goal but that in itself to me is a pretty big goal. And I don't know if I really want to look at it that way anymore either. But right now on the east coast of the US it is extremely hot! Not that I get any pity from those of you from "down under" but exercising outside right now is kind of out of the question, at least not for us non-die hard types but I do hope to become more active in the future also. They just started this lap band support group and so I'll be attending the first meeting and will be with a bunch of newbies and I'm going to be careful to keep my mouth shut!!!lol, take care Nancy.

Jachut, By not thinking I am dieting I am succeeding with this. I am not wanting to overeat because I'm not depriving myself as I've done my whole dieting career, so maybe I haven't explained it well enough but it's really a positive thing. Basically I'm not waking up for the one billionth time saying I'm going to diet and do well this day. I gave up on that but not on health or losing weight. Does that make sense? I am also going to a lap band support group at my surgeon's office, does this sound like I don't care?

OK, I saw this as a new post and wasn't trying to go to the "Men's Room" intentionally but I have to say one thing. There aren't that many women out there who are married, as I have been for the past 26 years who would consider their husband as having a higher pain tolerance than they do! I'm sorry but it kind of makes me :lol:brandyII

I'm sorry but my first reaction is to say "are you crazy"!!!LOL. But I won't, but I did, sorry. I remember being disappointed because the Scottish Games were the weekend following my surgery and I always liked attending and couldn't go that year. Sometimes just sitting up and wearing regular clothes can be uncomfortable, meaning jeans that button, you'll have a few incisions around that area. My daughter had gastric bypass two weeks ago this Tuesday and she's finally walking around okay now and going out to stores etc... She's going to be taking a 3 hour each way car trip this Friday and as long as she's still wearing comfortable clothes and can recline a bit I think she'll be fine. I know they're two different surgeries but it was also done laproscopically and I don't remember too many specifics besides the "games" I missed because it was last august. Good luck on your surgery and give yourself some rest and recoup time, brandyII:smile:

To be honest, you don't need to see it now. I'd wait a while, not that it's scary but you probably have enough on your mind at the moment and I don't know how squeamish you are at watching surgeries, jmo, brandyII:smile:

Wow great footage, I don't think I've ever seen such great footage of the surgery before, thanks for putting that up. It also is a very good appetite suppressant:lol:! Wouldn't it be nice if we all had video of our surgeries, kind of like the birth of babies videos that people have. Then when we're not doing well we could whip it out and say ok this is what I went through and it's not for naught! Thanks for putting it up brandyII:thumbup:

My two younger brothers are totally straight, well their wives think they are at least, jk. But if anyone can dress well it's those two. Not only do they have perfect physiques they wear the nicest clothes! Something went wrong somewhere. My younger sister is into clothes though and will spend a fortune on clothes. I think I'm the only one who took after my father. Anyway it's sad when your brothers have nicer shoes and clothes than their sister! Even thin I was not into clothes and that was the "disco" era when everyone was dressing up and wearing heels but not me I couldn't pull it off, maybe because I was always in bare feet!!

Fanny, If I were to wear heels it would kill me!!!!! If you were to see me on an average day I'm in shorts, even though I live up north and socks and if I go out it's jeans and sneaks. I've always loved pants, shorts anything but a dress. I do the makeup thing only because I'm so fair my skin is translucent but not as beautiful as Marilyn Monroe's was! My hair is naturally curly so I have to "tame" it in various ways. It's much thinner now than it was when I was younger. I had three older brothers so maybe that's part of it but I was never a "delicate little flower". Nancy:lol:

MacM, You crack me up:lol:

:incazzato::driving::huggie::sad::tt2:

Froggie, I believe you took something I said kind of out of context. I was discussing this with another fellow bandster whose daughter also had the RNY surgery. We both have that in common and it was nice to have someone to share the fears and excitement for my daughter with. Her daughter had the surgery a few years ago and is doing well and also had a baby since so it was good news to me. I'm not going to argue with you over this as I know you're excited to have the surgery. It's not a competition over who is better bypass or lap band, both are major decisions although one surgery is more major than the other. I don't know what I would have done if my daughter were given the lap band and it not work out as she had hoped, it would have been devastating to both of us:frown:. You chose the lap band so naturally you don't want to see any one say anything negative and that's understandable, it's like someone telling you your kid is bad in a way. Anyway I'm kind of going through both surgeries in a way because of my daughter and myself so it's a different experience. My daughter is almost 30 years my junior and doing very well so far in her short journey and has a much more disciplined manner that I don't have! I on the other hand have much more experience in other ways and also more health issues along with my age which include physical and emotional that I am dealing with in order to accomplish my original goal of weight loss. I'm coming to terms with my issues and hope that may work in my favor in the end, take care and good luck and health to you Froggie and I know how exciting this time is for you:smile: brandyII.

Jaime, I've very happy for you that this is working the way you wanted it to. That's wonderful and no I don't have chocolate in the house at the moment but if I have a really bad craving I know where my car keys are. Circumstances lately have been such that there had been more junk type foods in the house because I had visitors. No biggy, but no lossy. Anyway we're all very different and I'm almost 20 years older than you and in those 20 years I have yo yo'd a bit more than you I'm afraid. I am looking at this with a new perspective now and I feel good about it. I am not dieting but that doesn't mean I won't lose weight now and may lose weight now and keep it off. It's called learning to accept myself as I am and not fight with myself anymore over my weight. It's taken me quite a while to reach this point and it maybe the best thing I have ever done, good luck to you and all of us, brandyII.

It's what I've done for the past 9 months and Jachut and Athinnerdenise have explained it to a "T"!

Thanks Fanny, I appreciate your support from down under, I know I get a bit crazy now and again but I think I've had a break through, knock on wood!!!! brandyII:cool2:

My 19 year old daughter had gastric bypass about two weeks ago and so you don't have to tell me about the risks, I have to deal with my own flesh and blood going through it and all the worries I'll have for quite a while. So if I pass on watching a video right now on someone's bad gastric bypass I hope you don't hate me! We all take risks and hopefully have made the right choice for ourselves when it comes to WLS. I am no different than anyone else except that I'm not doing as well but I'm still trying. If anyone knows it's not easy it's me or my ticker would have moved more than a fricken 3 pounds. OK I change that, it did move over 20 pounds but in the wrong direction. I'm assuming we've all screwed up on diets in the past or we wouldn't have gotten this surgery. What's to say that we still won't now? A band around my belly is my tool now and I'm still trying to get it to work for me and me for it. If I don't I'm the one who has to live with the consequences. Not you or my surgeon or anyone but me. Is it diet or die trying, no I think I will go on as I have for the last twenty years as a pleasantly plump large boned woman who is kind and funny, loves her husband and her children and her animals and had a pretty face when she was 20. There is a point where I will have to stop and admit defeat though but it doesn't mean my life is over and I'm not a worthy human being, especially being a female in a society where fat is considered unacceptable and ugly and probably contageous!

You know I really understand where you're coming from you remind me of my two brothers who are in their fifties and exercise because it allows them to eat what they want, not that they eat junk but they burn so many calories with their fitness routines they have to feed their bodies more food every day. But it's also a passion for them and actually always has been since they were young. One races bikes and one runs and will run marathons and both have or do teach martial arts. I've never had that passion and probably never will. I can find passion in walking but not running I'm not built for that and even when I was thin I hated it! I like hiking things like but I'm not a competitor not even within myself if you catch my drift. I know it would be easier if I could do it that way but I just don't want to. But the focus on the diet thing has screwed me up not just now, since I've been banded but even before that. It's very mental and more so now. I'm trying to eat normal and not think about it as being on a diet so I don't go overboard to try to feed the angry beast! I'm going to at least try and I'm going to go to a new Lap Band support group that my surgeon's office is starting this Monday and they're focusing on psychological issues and addictions so I think/hope it will benefit me. Anyway I applaud you because I know it's not easy what you're doing but I just can't be as passionate about that aspect as you and a lot of people are. Thanks Nancy.

Well eating a little piece of chocolate may not do it for me, I have certain trigger foods that I just can't keep in the house. It may have something to do with my hormones during times of the month or my antidepressants or just my makeup. If you can function that way that's wonderful but not everyone is that strong for many reasons. I don't know if I would get an RNY at this point in my life now anyway and it's not proven whether or not everyone has dumping syndrome. There's is the malabsorption aspect to it that helps with weight loss and some do get dumping syndrome which supposedly is not something that one enjoys. If you are the type of person that eats a whole lot of food and have restriction with the lap band then it should work fine for you. If on the other hand you have a really slow metabolism after years of yo yo dieting and are at a certain age and have other issues that may affect how successful you will be on the band it may not work as well. I don't know how to explain it any better but not everyone will do well on the band whether or not you want to say they are not doing enough of the work is up to you to decide????

It's also refreshing to see that Obama is not taking money from lobbyests now also! I admit I didn't read all the posts but some of them were a bit annoying and so I skimmed a bit, brandyII.

lilbit08, It's easy to get withdrawal side effects if you miss taking certain antidepressants. Some can be as quick as a day so you're supposed to take them every day around the same time. I know mistakes happen and you could miss it once in a while but it will affect you. Usually I call them "brain sparks" or something like that, it's not a headache but you kind of feel like something is amiss somewhere in your head! I know sounds weird but that's what I call them. If you think the effexor is causing other problems other than when you miss a dose than talk to your doctor about it and maybe they'll suggest a different drug. Anyway my medications are in various forms, capsules, caplets, tablets. I've heard people say at first after surgery they've had to break a larger caplet in two and some medications they don't want you to take prior to surgery but that's something your surgeon will go over with you. You really shouldn't stop taking antidepressants without your doctor's knowledge or advice, it can cause some bad withdrawal symptoms. So discuss all your meds with your prescribing doctors and your surgeon prior to surgery, it's usually a procedure that's common anyway. I still take all the same meds I took prior to banding after banding. You're not supposed to take NSAIDS, like Ibuprofen which can cause problems with your stomach and only take Tylenol now for pain and that's something your surgeon will go over with you also.

Imaducky, What do you know of certain astrological signs and weight issues. I've read that Taurus and Cancer have issues with weight gain, do you know anything about that? brandyII, (:smile:not looking for another excuse)