brandyII

I was watching a program on PBS called "Depression: Out of the Shadows". Anywho, as one who has struggled with anxiety/depression and obesity for many years I have also struggled with the fact that having anxiety and depression contribute to my weight gain and vise versa and also the drugs that I take may also play a part in my weight issues. Back to the PBS show, there was a man on the show who had been profoundly depressed for a while and took a large cocktail of drugs that seemed to be working for him. He also took some medications that were to counteract some of the side effects of these drugs. He took a drug that I wasn't familiar with to counteract the weight gain side effect. Actually I'm going to try to go to the transcript of the show to see if I can find it but it was almost inaudible to me while watching. I then did a little research on the web myself and came across a drug called "zonisamide or zonegran". Has anyone ever heard of this before or have you been on them for this reason or anyone on a similar type of drug to counteract the weight gain side effects? I know there are certain antidepressants that specifically say they don't affect a person's weight but those are either drugs that haven't worked for me or not found to be true especially with the combination I take. And Wellbutrin has no affect on me whatsoever, just as an example. Thanks ahead of time anyone who has any info and would like to share, brandyII.:rolleyes2:

Has anyone had a situation where they were able to get their lap band removed and also had the gastric bypass surgery and have gotten their insurance company to pay for it? If so did you have special criteria for that coverage/surgery? Any details would be helpful, thanks brandyII.

I've decided that by focusing too much on my lap band and the diet and what I'm eating and when I'm eating and what I shouldn't be eating is sabotaging anything that the lap band can or will do for me. I'm going to stop worrying about it and live a "normal" life! If that means I lose weight great if it doesn't so be it. I will exercise for health reasons as it helps with depression and diabetes. I will try to be more active just for the pleasure in it. When I focus on my "diet" I always end up screwing it up and feeling like I'm depriving myself and then I do anything to add those extra calories. It's totally wrong and I'm not going to do it anymore. It's an added pressure I put on myself and it backfires and has backfired most of my life unless assisted with the aid of illegal diet pills or cigarettes and I don't want to take them anymore either. I will focus on loving myself and building my self esteem rather than knocking myself for being fat and not worthy of a life because of what the numbers say on the "GD" scale:cursing:. If I feel my band is too tight to accomplish this in a normal manner I will get some or all of my fill removed. Thanks for listening, brandyII:smile:

Can you be an overweight person and have a good self esteem?

I know this is Rants and Raves so that's why I'm putting this topic here because I'm sure I will be ranted upon which isn't my point actually. Why are people made to feel afraid to come to this forum and discuss their band failures? When someone is searching out whys and what ifs they need a safe haven and I've gotten the impression the only way you can get people to talk about their personal problems with the band is by private messaging because they're too afraid to "come out of the my band is now working closet" Would love to have them come out so I don't feel I'm alone here, thanks brandyII.:biggrin:

Man I'm starting to lose faith in you people, grab your torches why don't you and run everyone who doesn't agree with you out of town! What a welcoming to a person with a complication. Maybe she didn't come across the way you wanted her to but you immediately assume the worse from the woman and think she's got some major plot going on to send all people to Mexico! I just don't understand a lot of you????? sorry brandyII

Froggi, don't worry about it! You're going to be fine! If you need reassurance ask your own doctors. I don't think I even had approval until one week prior to surgery and I didn't worry about it because everything was being handled the way it was supposed to be. But you can always double check if you have any questions about it. brandyII.

I grew up in the DC area and know that your libraries rock but in small towns they really suck, I know I miss the good ones I grew up with brandyII.

Froggi, you know what's better than a lily pad, a three foot above ground pool with a queen size air mattress! Libations and men are optional.:redface: A girl can only dream!!!!

Well I don't know what they're talking about. My surgeon put me on a 5 week liquid diet to shrink my liver (I think that's what that was) and also I thought it had something to do with proving that I was capable of losing weight. Well I lost 25 pounds and I think my daughter lost around 40 prior to surgery. I'd ask them for specifics. I mean are they talking doctors, insurance, what???:confused:brandyII

Konbanwa, neveragain-san! Watashi wa erisu desu, brandy2 no kodomo desu! I do not know how to say "gastric bypass surgery" in japanese, BUT I did have it in May. Be nice to my mom! hajimemashite! :biggrin2: Elyse

froggi, it's okay go to your happy place. I sense you are upset we won't let the bad people hurt you! By the way, is your happy place on a lily pad?

Is this fricken grade school now, people grow up!!!

KatW, Thanks I needed to hear that and you are a very insightful person. I think some of us learn this lesson at a later age than others. I wish I could have felt as good about myself now as I had when I was younger and even thinner or fatter. Maybe it's a blessing that comes with age, who knows. I have ridden the self esteem roller coaster with my husband. I met him in 1978 and we've been together pretty much ever since. When he first met me I was fat and saw me go up and down with my weight and never said anything derogatory about it. He didn't have to because of my self loathing during that time I took care of it for both of us and it was a toxic part of our relationship, not the fat but my self loathing. This gift of self esteem that I'm acquiring now by actually studying and also learning from you great peeps is a gift that I've also giving to him and our relationship. Is a marriage or relationship better with a happy person or a miserable one? It doesn't really matter if my body is fat or thin to him it's how I am inside that counts. It may sound crazy to most people who read this, but it's very true for me at least. Sex is not just an expression of lust, although that part is nice but you're expressing to one another how much you love and appreciate them in a physical, emotional and mental sense. Everything always goes to sex in these threads!!! Thanks, brandyII, one who is working on her self esteem at this point in time and hopes to continue to do so even if she is berated by a few miserable people who don't seem to get it...................:redface:

Georgiag, I'll move on when people stop posting me about it! This is not my first negative encounter with Jachut and will not be my last.:redface: I'm still passionate about everything I've said and she's moved on to Rants and Raves so unless you want to discuss self esteem in the Mental Health and Lapband Life Social Group you should probably move on also because this is not the appropriate place for it, thanks brandyII:thumbup:

Thanks for your professional advise, I find you charming as well:thumbup:

You're just silly but really do frogs snap at the bubbles?

Eating it or cutting it?

Post #16, you can see where she origonally typed it at 11:15 PM and then it was last edited at 11:57. She's not denying she did it but it's kind of unfair to change it like that (twice) and make me look like the bad guy or a bit nutty:drool:, am I wrong?

I myself edit my posts, usually due to spelling errors as I was a typist for many years and it's just a habit, I don't use spell check here and so time to time I'll see a stupid error I've made and I'll edit it out. FYI I responded to a heated response from Jachut and then when I came back to read more posts she had edited out some pertinent material so as to not look as mean, I'm only assuming! An example, if you trust my honesty "utter twaddle" was used and if you were to look I don't think you'll see it in her post. Then she completely removed it, except for the first and last sentence and wrote something that I never would have responded to like that. I guess the joke is on me, I've learned from that and now know if you're going to respond to some nasty post make sure you ALWAYS place it in quotations first or you'll get screwed in the end!!!!!!!!!!!!!! brandyII

You are cool :smile: tommaney and as I've said before your "third eye" has much to do with it! Major survival skills dealing with two alcoholic parents let alone one!!!! That is quite impressive:thumbs_up: It is the shit as they say but the way you deal, I deal(t) and others deal(t) with having alcoholic parents is such an accomplishment and a credit to ourselves:thumbup:. If we "pat" ourselves on the back it's because we've finally come to terms of having to nurture ourselves because our parents were nursing the bottle and self medicating. I loved my father although this was a major problem that affected the whole family but he was a brilliant man. Because of that he fathered 5 brilliant kids. Everyone has their PhD or their Masters or both or me her MRS. (worked and sent hubby of 27 years through college) but who knows I may have enough self esteem to get that AA one day!:redface: (I'm referring to associates degree). I chose to move out of a crazy house and work when I should have been finishing college. That was a coping mechanism that worked short term for me. Can't go back now! The major coping mechanism my family members use is their sense of humor, which we all get from our paternal grandmother, the Irish side of the family. It has taken most of us through much pain. I use my sense of humor/sarcasm to get through most awkward situations and I suppose I attempt to use it when it comes to my personal wl journey especially after going to my surgeon's office every month or so and the scale is either moving at slow to dead snail speed. I'm not a super star in that area but I do exercise now which I've come to use also as a coping mechanism. brandy II has left the building to be PHATABULOUS somewhere else:thumbup:

Feet are great! You naturally begin at one end so starting there is perfectly acceptable. My only mirrors are high at face level so I'm used to just looking at my head and I think most women self conscious about their bods do. I know it's not easy but I'm sure a daily affirmation of how wonderful we are as Molly said is a good thing, maybe more than one!:redface: I am not a shoes person because I prefer to let them be free but a lot of women are really into their shoes and maybe it has something to do with their feet I don't know, I can't relate. I'm not out in Birkenstocks or whatever they are but I prefer socks inside and tennises outside! Another thing is to ask a "loved one" or good friend to tell you some positives about you, physically, or your character etc... it's nice to get it from as many sources as possible! brandyII:smile:

Sounds good Molly, your pic always makes me smile! brandyII:thumbup:

Well one thing affecting my confidence is my body, not my mind or my personality but my body. I've heard that you should take a look at yourself in the mirror, naked, full length and instead of doing the typical thing we normally do and go and pick out our problem areas or not even be able to disrobe and look at ourselves in the mirror but really look at yourself and say what you like about your body. It's kind of a scary thing for a lot of people especially women, but that is an assumption. I know men are just as body conscious as women but they do have a tendency to pee in public so it's a little different! Anyway, I like the way my arms are even though my MIL thinks they're too fat! Okay I've said it, I like my pudgy arms. Remember now you have to train yourself to say what you like and don't focus on your negatives, everyone has positives and we are our harshest critics, well most of the time:wink_smile: brandyII

My tech was nice and gave me a little hint. I saw the CPAP machine next to the bed after it was over and asked her what it was and when she told me I said I hope I never have to use one of those and she said "well you would if you needed to wouldn't you"? It was one of those weird moments where you knew she was looking right through you and yes I did need one but it took a while to get back to the pulmonologist. But they never made me do a second study thank God! My daughter had the study done and a second one and had disrupted sleep from snoring but no apneas and doesn't need the machine. Good luck to you and if you need one by chance CPAPTALK is a good forum. brandyII.:rolleyes2: