auntlucy

neverB4, thank you for your sweet prayer...I really appreciate it. I'm doing better. I had my 2nd fill Tuesday and had some problems with it Wed, but it seems to be getting better. Now, here is my prayer for you: Dear most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for giving neverB4 the courage to get the band. As she continues down this journey, I pray that you will give her the will power and the endurance she needs to succeed. She is your child, Lord, and she just wants to have a healthier body to honor you. Wrap your arms around her, allowing her to feel your presence...especially during those times that she may be tempted to eat out of emotional hunger or boredom.

FridayI had some friends over for a day at the pool. My day started off with me cleaning my house and getting things ready for them to come over. That included replanting a tree and some other heavy lifting type things. I cooked dinner that night for all of us. OK, so what was my non-scale victory? Well, in the past, my back would have been absolutely killing me by the end of the day. I was in a minor car accident a few years ago that did a number on my back. :thumbup: Several months ago, I would have been taking pain medicine and muscle relaxers just to get to sleep after a day like that. The pain would have been all over my face. But, I realized by the end of the night Friday that I was 100% pain free! I love my band!

mphs, you mentioned that your surgeon went over the risks of the band. Did she also go over the risks of bypass? All it took for me to make the decision was to hear the mortality rate and side effects possible with GB. They are much more severe than with the band. Of course, as others have said, this is a personal decision. My question was just did she give you the facts for both procedures? Did she mention the gastric sleeve at all as an option? Good luck!

I'm in McKinney, and I'd be open to getting a group together...

I think we need to be careful about making blanket statements like psych evals are a joke...with anything, there are probably some psychologists who are very good at it and some who are not. Mine was excellent, and she actually is a GB patient. So, she truly understands the ramifications and the changes necessary. I have no doubt that she would not hesitate to recommend to a doctor that someone was not ready for LB.

Good for you Perky! Back pain is the worst...if your foot hurts, the rest of your body doesn't hurt. When your back hurts, it seems to impact your entire body. So, I know you completely understand how big of a victory it is since you are experiencing it too! You should be very proud of yourself. That is fantastic that you are off of BP meds!

In reading everyone's responses, I do believe that the lesson is that through this, you really find out who your true friends are. Their true colors are coming out, and they aren't pretty! Let's all work to get more positive people who can be true friends to us.

Try to put all of the thoughtless comments aside. If you choose to limit the people you talk to about this, don't feel guilty about that. It is ok right now for you to be a little selfish and focus on yourself. I definitely feel like I've been more self absorbed since I decided to get the surgery. I'm doing the things that I need to do in order to be successful. If you are anything like me, you've probably spent most of your life doing what other people wanted you to do and trying to please others. I'm finding that I'm making decisions now based on what I need. I deserve that, and so do you!

I love that movie too...the acting isn't the best, but the message is so good!

My psych eval was not a big deal. She asked me some questions about why I wanted the band and what I was expecting to gain from it. She asked me if I had thought about what life would be like when I started losing wieght and how I would respond to different reactions I would likely get. Actually, she didn't ask me a lot of these questions, I just started talking about what I wanted to do and why and I ended up answering most of her questions through that. It was a one-time thing, but she is someone I had gone to in the past when I needed someone to talk to about some changes in my life. I will tell you though that I wanted to make a reconnectionw ith her in case I need someone to talk to as I go through this someimes emotional journey. Good luck as you pursue this! You will learn a lot through this site.

How long has it been since you have lost anything? I'm definitely finding that all of our bodies are different. I recently gained a few pounds even though I was doing everything right. The last month has been up and down. Sometimes I think our bodies go through an adjustment period. Our job is to just stay focused on eating the right way and exercising and not fall into old habits.

My favorite flavor of the protein bullet is fruit punch. I mix it with fruit punch flavored crystal light.

Are you talking about the New Whey Protein bullet? If you are, it's a form of liquid protein. Here is a link for you to check out: New Whey Liquid Protein 42g - 12 Vials by IDS Sports, Supplements.Net

babygrl, I don't think you offended anyone (you certainly didn't me)! I completely understand what you are saying.

That's fantastic! I have United Healthcare too, and my approval was very fast (I think less than a week). So, hopefully you will have the same experience!

I've lost a lot of hair today. I nearly burst into tears this morning when I was washing and then brushing may hair. Multiple strands were coming out at once. While I love my best friend, I don't really feel like I can talk to her about it. When I first noticed the hair loss a couple of weeks ago, I was expressing my concern about it to her. I was obviously very upset. She looked at me and said, "I think you need to find something else that you like about yourself other than your hair." URRRRRR!!! I was ticked....I'm a very confident person and there are a lot of things I like about myself. I had a normal human emotion after all!

I wasn't hungry for about 10 days after surgery, but as I continued to heal, I did get hungry. By the time my 1st fill appointment came, I was ready for it. Now I'm definitely ready for my 2nd one which is next week. Right now, I don't feel like I have much restriction at all. My advice to you is to still follow the rules even when you are on solid foods and are hungry. I have really tried to limit my food to the portion sizes my doctor and nutritionist recommended. Good luck! You will do great!

I did have something similar...mine was a hemotoma. The doctor had me take ecotrin (otc anti-inflamatory) and put heat on it while keeping it elevated as much as possible. After a few days, mine was much better. But, you should ask your doctor. Good luck!

asnewme1, good luck with all of your preparation for getting the sleeve. I've heard really good things about it. It's actually my surgeon's preference, but it's not covered under insurance yet. Since my insurance covered the band, it was a good choice for me. We are glad to have you on the site as we're all in the same boat!

I'm glad it worked out for you. The second day I was on solid foods I had a work dinner at a very nice restaurant. I was so nervovus about what to order and looked at the menu online before I got there to determine what I should order. I took small bites and chewed very slowly. Aside from one guy sitting next to me who really wanted me to join him for dessert for some reason, nobody said anything. That was 3 months ago...last week, we were at another work dinner, and he came and asked if I was going to have dessert and proceeded to tell everyone around me that I didn't have dessert last time. Oh well! I just proudly and jokingly said, "why are you so interested in what I am not eating?!?"

Be pacient! In my experience, things happen for a reason...it will all work out, and it's not that much longer!

I've definitely had weeks where I've lost a little more and weeks when I've lost less or even gained. I try not to get frustrated with the gains b/c I know I'm doing everything right. I think it's just normal. Our bodies are very complex! I really need a fill right now...fortunately I'm scheduled for one Tuesday!

I have a whole lot of lunch meetings I have to deal with. I just started taking my own lunch...especially if I know there aren't good options for me on the "menu". Nobody really says anything to me about it other than, "wow...you're being really good." I was in one lunch meeting with the President of the Company. I brought in my own lunch and was as happy as a lark eating it. She looked at me and said, "You are being so good! I hate you." You would have to know her, but she was basically saying that she admired that I was eating a healthy lunch. If anyone asks, just let them know that you are making an effort to eat healthier. There's no need to tell them about the surgery if you're not comfortable doing that.

I'm so sorry you are having to deal with that. I do think you should sit down and have a conversation with her so you can both get your feelings about it out on the table. You would need to appraoch it in a loving way with a desire to make it better. I have noticed a few comments on this thread about how much easier the GB is than the band and how people with GB gain back the weight. I would just caution us all not to pass judgment on the people who choose GB. We all have to make choices and for some, that is a better option.

I'm almost 4 months in, and I've not experienced it yet. I am careful to chew chew chew, take small bites, and eat slowly. Hopefully I will never experience it, but if I do, it's a msall price to pay for weight loss in my opinion. I hope it's as easy for you as it's been for me so far!