lottacash

Yes please. BTW what's happening with Canadagirl? Was she there at the meeting?

Hi Doddie, I use hotmail and with that all you do is click on the address line called "BCC" (stands for "Blind Carbon Copy") just below the regular "To" and "CC" (Carbon Copy) lines to insert addresses confidentially. Your email probably has a similar address line.

Hi Doddie, Canadagirl, etc., I'd have come to the meeting had I known it was being held. I hope Canadagirl's husband is OK and she didn't send out an email about the meeting only because she's busy with work, life, etc. I rely on the emails about the meetings to remind me and to tell me the meetings haven't been cancelled for some reason. lottacash (Laura)

Hi, I'm replying from Las Vegas. It's hot here-106 degrees today! Anyway, I spelled Rick's last name the way it's done in Quebec. He may be from somewhere else, so his name may be spelled differently.

I don't know whether the Vancouver Island (Victoria) surgeon will do fills for someone from elsewhere but someone in Vancouver does them. His name is Rick Archambault and he works at St. Paul's Hospital on Burrard St. Doddie63 knows all about him, so maybe she'll also reply to your question. Hi, Doddie63, Laura here!

TravelLady, I forgot to mention you should be pleased your diabetes, etc. has improved. No matter how good weight loss makes you look, if you're dead, you don't look great, so any medical improvement is so much more important! As for going into a warm pool in the rain, be glad you're not stuck under several feet of snow, as I am here in Vancouver, BC. I can't even drive to the pool right now. To those talking about an apron, unfortunately exercise will help reduce the amount of fat on our bodies and build muscle but no amount of exercise will actually reduce that apron. It's caused by excess skin. Only plastic surgery will remove it. Frankly, I'd rather have the apron and maybe wear a girdle or something than risk hours of plastic surgery - but that's just me. My sister had the band and lost 140 pounds and is now considering plastic surgery for her apron and upper arms. I wish her well but I doubt I'll ever do it. BTW, I had my surgery July 16 and have lost over 61 pounds. I've never had a fill and that loss is after a two-week cruise where I ate anything I wanted, including lots of yummy Desserts. On December 20 the scale showed I'd gained 16 pounds in 16 days but all those pounds went away in just over a week as soon as I got home and resumed my usual eating pattern of an average of 1000-1400 calories a day. I've also lost a few more pounds since then, bringing the total to 61.

Travellady, don't beat yourself up. Since you lost so much pre-surgery your body has to "catch up" with the loss. If you are eating nutritious foods in the appropriate quantities and not adding high calorie, low volume stuff, you'll start losing again. As for exercise, I too have a bad knee, so I do something called Arthrocise in a pool. It's basically shallow Water aquacize, which is supposed to be gentler on joints than the regular aquacize, but I don't see much difference between them. If walking on the concrete bottom of a pool is too much for you, try deep water aquacize. I actually think that's a better workout anyway. The only reason I don't do it myself is where I live it's a lot more expensive than the shallow water arthrocise.

Hi Marissa's Mom, I'm the mom of a Marissa too. Mine's 25-years-old. Anyway, I found I couldn't ride a bike when about 300+ pounds. I wasn't strong enough to pedal all that weight along. What I suggest is you go to a local gym and try out their bikes there for free. See how the regular bike feels to you, your back, and your bum, as compared to how a recumbent bike feels. Then you can decide what kind to buy. You might also be able to find a bike rental place where you live to test-ride different bikes for a few dollars before commiting to a bike purchase. The post from the person who mentioned a helmet was very important for when you start riding outside. Where I live it's against the law not to wear a helmet. Protection for your arms and legs, especially when your balance might be somewhat off, is a good idea too.

Hi Doddie, I'll see what Woodhead says at my next appointment (next week). Frankly, I don't see the point in getting a fill, as I'm only eating an average of 900 calories a day and about 55 grams of Protein. I started exercising today by going to an Aquacize class here in Surrey, so I hope that will give my recently sluggish weight loss a boost.

Wow! Congratulations. You're an inspiration to us all.

Hi Doddie, I agree having a doctor close by is an advantage. My sister travelled from Kingston to TO to get her band and has to go there for fills, etc., but I'd hate to have to do that. I didn't even want to go to Washington State for my band. I don't know how Canadagirl does it. I haven't had any real problems since that first one, so I don't know how to assess if Woodhead's office staff has improved. They're not bad people: Woodhead just said he doesn't want to make them into doctors, so I suspect he's told them not to answer questions unless they check with him. Sure cuts down on the malpractice suits, I imagine. It's just an added annoyance when a problem crops up. Of course that "run-around" caused by the voicemail message is totally unacceptable in a surgeon's office. I have no idea whether it's been corrected. Maybe I should place a late-night call just to check.

Thanks, Dab. My husband has been bugging me to weigh myself only once a week too. I'll do that when things seem to be going along smoothly. I feel I'm still in the post-op condition where I'm checking out how things are settling down. I've tried most foods out now but still have to try pasta and get into a normal regimen before I feel I can trust weekly weighings.I'm trying to increase my fluid intake - not easy when I don't feel thirsty.I'm going to start deep water Aquafit tomorrow. I used to do it a few years ago and I'm going to go back to it. It's not too strenuous for me. I'd also like to take some dancing classes, as I love to dance but haven't done it for many years.Thanks for your support.