Kat817

Hi Mandy---I'm here----thanks for keeping us in order!!! Glad to see you here!!! Kat

Yesterday we took my Dad to Albuquerque to see his cardiologist, it is 186 miles each way. We get there and they had screwed up the appointment---and his Dr, was not even in. They ran the Doplar, because he is having problems....and sure enough the Dr. called today and said within the next 6 weeks we will look into bypassing the carotid arteries. Not what we were hoping to hear, it is supposed to be a fairly dangerous surgery with the risk of stroke being quite high. Tomorrow we take Rick down to Albq. to see his Dr.s tomorrow is his check up following the ablation, and will be one year to the day from his original open heart surgery for the valve. Hoping we get good reports on him. Will let you know. In the meantime, I am getting my exercise today---we are building a new wood shed, against the north side of our house, it will be like 10 feet wide, but will run 30 feet along the side of the house, to store our firewood in a closer location. I have carried lumber, and moved wood, and cut down shrubs (I cried, I planted the poor things about 15 years ago---they were very pretty forsythias) So I will check in, and try to let you know what the Dr. says. Friday is Ricks birthday, and he is off until Mon, or Tues....so I will be MIA a good part of that time, he has a list 2 miles long of things to get done. We have been camping and biking so much on days off, our honey-do list is overwhelming!!! Will be back!!!! Will come up with some challenge....maybe 16 days this month, then I can feel good when I surpass it!!!!! Kat Love the look Tracy---I have seen it in my own mirror many times!!!!

Glad to see it is behind you Mandy---I have been thinking of you. Yesterday we took my Dad to Albuquerque to see his cardiologist, it is 186 miles each way. We get there and they had screwed up the appointment---and his Dr, was not even in. They ran the Doplar, because he is having problems....and sure enough the Dr. called today and said within the next 6 weeks we will look into bypassing the carotid arteries. Not what we were hoping to hear, it is supposed to be a fairly dangerous surgery with the risk of stroke being quite high. Tomorrow we take Rick down to Albq. to see his Dr.s tomorrow is his check up following the ablation, and will be one year to the day from his original open heart surgery for the valve. Hoping we get good reports on him. Will let you know. In the meantime, I am getting my exercise today---we are building a new wood shed, against the north side of our house, it will be like 10 feet wide, but will run 30 feet along the side of the house, to store our firewood in a closer location. I have carried lumber, and moved wood, and cut down shrubs (I cried, I planted the poor things about 15 years ago---they were very pretty forsythias) So I will check in, and try to let you know what the Dr. says. Friday is Ricks birthday, and he is off until Mon, or Tues....so I will be MIA a good part of that time, he has a list 2 miles long of things to get done. We have been camping and biking so much on days off, our honey-do list is overwhelming!!! Will be back!!!! Kat

The only problemwith the poll was that there was only yes or no---I needed a YES!!!!!! I love my band! Yes it can be more fickle to find the sweet spot, but just as we each react differently with our bands, so do bypassers, and some still crave sweets, others apparently do not. When I got good restriction, my desire for any food, as well as most of my cravings went away too. My friend Pam had bypass, and has been highly successful, but it has been hard work fighting the cravings for her, and being around sweets, with the dumping, and ironically she and her DH own an ice cream shop! She has some health issues with the malabsorption that she controls with supplements. Zen girls, I hope you find good restriction, because with it, the band is a whole new ball game. Without hunger, cravings are not a big deal. Work with your Dr. sometimes it takes several fills to perfect....but it is sooo worth it!!! Kat

Pamela---Rick and I did the long distance relationship for 2 years while he completed school. I agree the first night is the worst! At least this one is a short separation! And the closet & your rooms did look really great! Kat

I loved Taco Bell refried Beans during mushies. After so long on liquids, they had soooo much flavor!!! Kat

Taco Bell refried Beans, they tasted like heaven after 4 weeks of liquid!!!! Kat

I do either oatmeal for breakfast, or add granola to yogurt. I also try to eat fresh fruit daily. I also do whole grain bread, or crackers---I like the crackers, with cheese though, that may go against what you are working towards!!!! I also eat a lot of nuts---almonds or mixed nuts, low sodium. Keeping my water/fluid intake up is what matter with my regularity....I have to drink enough! Kat

I'm from the NW corner of New Mexico----not far from the only place in the US of A that 4 states touch in one spot. You can stand in 4 states, and 2 Indian Reservations all at one time! Kat

So glad y'all are feeling better----on to bandland you go!!!! Kat

Ya know, that is not the first time I thought that! In fact around our house, the file box we carried back and forth to court with all of our cancelled checks, mailing rec'pts. etc. in it...was referred to as the "Sink the Bitch File".......and rightly so.....and while it may not have sunk her, it kept her from getting any more $$$$. We had no issue whatsoever with the child support---but he put her through school when they were married to become a paralegal. Getting his own degree at night, and following the divorce. So she was capable of supporting herself. After all it was her he caught in bed with another man......her own cousin! yep she was a winner! He moved up in the world if I do say so myself!!!! Kat

Toads butt feet???? Now that my friend is a visual!!!!! We need a new smiley or nanner with toads butt feet! Good luck with your fill! Kat

The pill that is "stuck", may actually be stuck, or it dissolving may have caused some serious irritation. I would try a sip or 2 of warm liquids, see if that helps it. If it stays down, then wait another 30-45 minutes, and try a couple more sips. At that point if things stay down, I'd try some yogurt, or SF pudding...to maybe help coat things a bit. If you bring up the fluids, or are still hurting, it might be time to call the Dr. for advice. Most times when I eat something that I get stuck it is not the food that was offending, it was me and how I ate it. Think big bite, chew chew swallow. NOT a good bandster!!! When I do that a few sips of pineapple juice usually help it break down and pass on through. Getting stuck, is when you have too much food, or too big of a bite, or the food has worked its way into a form that will not pass through the stoma---the part of the stomach where the band is placed...the tightest area. My list of cannot eat foods is short---the only thing I won't try again is a yeast donut....I took one bite, it grew to be the size of a dozen donuts it felt like!!! I PB'd that one! Have no desire to repeat that! I have foods I need to be careful with. Watermelon, I have to take itsy bitsy tiny bites, and can only eat a little bit. I think it is too much like eating and drinking together! If I eat Pasta, I have to eat something with it. I cannot sit down for instance and eat more than 2-3 bites of a bowl of fettucine. But if I add some grilled chicken and veggies, I can eat 3 times that. I think it is because as Tracy said early on, the glutens break down and get gummy, and then swell up...the other foods give it something to work with as it digests. So yes I eat pasta and rice, just carefully. Actually eating these foods keeps me in line and eating properly! I have no problem with meat, when it is freshly cooked, reheated it is usually just not moist enough. Most snack foods are fine, popcorn included. Bread, I can eat, but choose not to eat a lot of it. I have to do it like my pasta, with other things. I cannot (I guess, never really tried it!!!) eat a plain slice of bread, but can eat a sandwich. I can in no way eat a whole sandwich though, so choose to add most of my meat and cheese, and fold over, and still manage about half of it. Now please don't any of you take this the wrong way---it is meant as encouragement for you too. If you scroll back through the last few pages as an example, and scan through the posters, many of them are newly banded. Not all, but many. I had times through the 2 fills I have had, where I was tighter, and had more issues with food. I have found what I believe to be my sweet spot now, and have restriction, but am able to eat most anything in moderation, and do just that. I would imagine, as each of you get further along in the banding experience, you can and cannot eat lists will change a bit. As has been mentioned sometimes it changes from morning to night!! Hang in there, and you will find out what YOUR band likes and doesn't like---today---and will work on tomorrow, tomorrow! Kat

A lot of it will depend on how important you are to the company. As well as a bunch of other things, is they boss overweight? Is his wife? Sounds silly---but it will matter to how he responds. I would ask for an appointment with him, I would explain my health issues, and that the way you would like to handle the health problems is through a relatively new, totally reversible, WLS. I would be sure to let him know if insurance were to be changed to cover it, that it would be a quick procedure, that you would not be off of work for long. Ask him if he would be willing to look over some literature regarding the type of surgery you are considering, so that possibly when the insurance review come up in October, that it might be able to be changed to cover the surgery your health requires. I know it is much easier to type it here than to say it---but you will never know without asking. Do you think there is anyone else within your company who would be interested in the surgery as well, or any WLS, so that you could go as a group? Keep in mind, even if they change the policy to include it, the hoops you might have to jump through are sometimes unreal. If you are seeing a Dr. now, be sure to have everything documented, it will help in the long run. Good Luck to you! Kat

I agree that it all needs to be revamped, but I don't have any clear cut solutions either! The biggest problem I believe facing my DH's co worker is the fact that so many lawyers and judges are part of the good ol' boys system. My DH was divorced in Colorado, and he paid maintenance, for several years, until she was awarded SSDI. She too btw works for an attorney! He paid for the years before I entered the picture, and he/we continued to pay both until the court changed it to simply child support. We saw his DD every other Thanksgiving or Christmas, and for a month in the summer. We have every check ever wrote to her mom. We provided insurance, we bought all the school clothes and supplies when she was with us for the summer, and we always had a big birthday party--although never on her birthday, we never got her then. We celebrated Christmas when she was with us, either at Thanksgiving or Christmas. We sent packages for Valentines, Halloween, Easter, Get well, just because---you name it, we were very involved. Then his ex took us back to court wanting to reinstate the maintenance. 4 years later, and over $60K later, it was denied, after being appealed all the way through Colorado courts! A judge in Denver STILL with proof of all of this, and testimony from the daughter saying Dad was good to her---called my DH a Dead Beat Dad! His ex testified that he never sent her anything on her birthdays or Christmas. Which under oath was true----and we were never given a chance on the stand, to say why...being that we give those to her in person! She testified that the DD called and was crying and upset, on the phone, and after talking to her found out that her Dad had promised to take her to the lake to Celebrate the 4th of July, and they had not taken her. Under oath---it was all true. We had planned a trip to the lake---instead we ended up in the hospital with DH having an emergency appendectomy! And yes she was crying, she was scared for her Dad! There are so many ways to get around the real truth, and when dealing with angry spouses, etc. NOTHING is as it appears to be all the time! These were just our own personal experiences. And we too were paying out the nose for representation, and she was working under the table doing collections for the attorney she used to work for, and getting free counsel. She even bragged about it to us after the final settlement. I wish I knew a way for it to be fair----but even experiencing it, leaves me lost as to how it could be done. Kat

Jane--the only thing I have found that helps me when I get off the path like that is to revamp my kitchen! I go through and get rid of the impulse foods, bought when I though this was going to do itself! Then I hit the store...I stock up on things I CAN eat. Lots of snack options. I buy nuts, jerky, SF pudding, cheese sticks, cheese wedges, fruit, veggies, some protein bars, popsicles, the 100 calore snack bags, deli lunch meat, and eggs. I buy the flavor packets to add to water, some green tea, etc. I try to fill my kitchen and pantry with options. When I come home I take the nuts, and break them into snack size zip lock bags, leave a couple out, and freeze the rest, anything I might get carried away with I break down into portions! I hard boil a few eggs to have. I even saute cut up chuncks of chicken to snack on. I clean and cut veggies, to have ready---like bell peppers, and onions so that if an omelet sounds good, I am ready to make it. It is just as easy as grabbing something not as good for me. Usually within a day or so, the scale has rewarded me with a pound or 2 gone, and my incentive is back! I also know if I don't drink enough---I don't lose squat! So pump up your water intake, especially if you just began exercising. It is like an act of exorcism for me---and I have had to do it a few times!!! I slide back into old habits as well! Good Luck, hang in there, and you'll make that goal! Congrats on the seat belt, you are already safer! Sara--glad to hear DH is doing better. I fully understand the inlaws and the lack of tact! My FIL is always complimentary, tells me I look good, and I look healthy. My MIL is the one with the catty remarks. I don't think they are meant to tear me down as much as they are to build my SIL up. Which is not wonderful to hear, but since it is her Mom, I accept it without going ballistic!!! But I know what you and Terry are talking about, all 4 of our parents have changed. Used to be the Dads were the tough ones, real hard nosed. Now they are mellow, and accepting, and kinder, and the Moms have become sharks! The remarks, and attitude---it is scary sometimes wondering where my meek mild Mom went to! Then she quits talking about someone else and focuses on one of us, her family, and there she is sweet as ever! But others---beware!!!!! Sara I can't do much to give you the strength you need, but I can commiserate! Hugs to you, you will make it to Thursday---I know you will! Gina! You NEVER tell anyone with a birthday in the next month that they share WISDOM---LMAO---just kidding! If my experience comes off as wisdom, I must be getting old!!!!!! Oh well, getting old, beats the alternative!! Theresa-congrats on the ring---one of the first places I noticed a huge difference was my hands. I have lost from a size 10 to my 7.5's being loose enough to slide around. When I finish, I will have my wedding rings resized, but only want to do it once. Terry---did they ever come after the dogs??? My DD's bf bought the girls a new puppy from a coworker of his, she is a chocolate lab, and she is like 9 weeks old, she is already fetching, and so cute, she is brown from her nose to her tail. Seems to be really smart, she trained in a couple of days, now if they put her in her kennel, she will not potty in it, she waits to go outside. Well I am off to unload the dishwasher, and start a load of sheets. My laundry was done, so what do I do? Change the bedding!!! Talk to y'all later! Kat

I have a friend who had bypass surgery about 6 years ago, and she says it is very uncertain whether sugars will cause her to dump anymore. Of all things they own an Ice Cream Parlour! She said some days she could eat it all, and have minimal if any effect from it, other days she said licking her finger would be enough to set her off. She lost about 80% of her weight, she has never had issue with regaining, but she is also pretty diligent with her diet. I knew I would not do well emotionally with knowing or thinking I would NEVER be able to have those things again. She does take lots of Vitamins and supplements, or she said her hair gets thin, and her energy levels are low. I notice it in her coloring, she looks kind of pale but waxy sometimes, but others, apparently when she is taking her supplements, she looks great. Nutritionally she seems to work harder at it. She did lose her weight quicker though.... Kat

WOW!!!! Can I bring a cot and sleep in there? It looks awesome!! I would love closet space....I'm going to bed now, and I am going to think of my perfect home with giant closets to lull myself to sleep!!! You guys did a fabulous job!!! Lots of work involved, but it looks like it would be so worth it!!! Just imagine soon it will be filled with little clothes!!! And they take up less space, so you can buy more!!! woo hooo!!! Thanks for showing us the rooms!!! See ya tomorrow! Kat

Yep the blood thinner injections may be the cause. They do what they are supposed to and thin the blood, often leaving a nice big bruise, although one that is not sore. My DH had to have the shots due to a blood clot prior to heart surgery, and we gave him Lovenox shots twice a day in the belly---it looked like someone had beat him with a sock full of quarters or something!!! Isn't that what they always do in prison movies??? They also have to manuever you around on the operating table, and when we are big enough to require lap bands, we must not be the easiest to move when we are out cold! Heck there were times moving myself was hard!!!! Kat

It was several days ago, I noticed Jennifer had already surpassed her exercise goal---that is sooo awesome! I am PROUD of you! The light weights that we do, have made a difference, and a lot of the weights I do just for my arms. DH made me this thing, it is a wooden dowel about a foot long, with a hole drilled in the middle, and a rope tied through it. Then you stand up, hold it directly out in front of you and cut the rope about 3 inches off the ground. Then you tie a weight, in ours we used a 5 pound disc like for a dumbell or barbell. Then you stand in the same position holding it straight out in front of you and roll it up, winding the rope with the weight attached around the dowel, then you slowly unroll it---don't let it free fall...control it. Keep your arms straight. I can go up and down 3 times in a row now. Once up and part way down was all I could do to start! It works your forearms, all the way to your shoulders! Costs about 6 bucks to make, and works wonders!!! I see the muscles in my arm, like when I am driving, I can see them individually work now!!! Jenn---I am sure your life will be easier to schedule when you do find another job...but for now, at least you are doing something, you are not drowning your sorrows in a carton of ice cream!!! You are working with what you have time wise! Judy--your ride sounds fun. We ended up going to dinner with our friends we missed it with last night. We went to Furrs, they can all do the "All You Can Eat" and I can do what they call a delite plate--which was still too much food, but I brought it home for lunch tomorrow. Denise--sometimes it is a slow start, and then wham! My SIL did that, she was losing a lot slower than I was, then all of a sudden she gained momentum, and passed me way by---she is at goal now! Don't give up hope---knowing you are eating healthy and doing it right, is encouraging. On another thread, someone said something about some of the young girls doing the band so they can fit into their skinny jeans, but some of us not quite so young ones are doing it to live longer! You may not be in your skinny jeans yet, but you ARE improving your life---which is the best thing you can do!! Hang in there! Tracy---what kind of wedding planning did you do this weekend? Pamela---any room progress? TracyK---where ya at girl? Terry---I noticed you in several threads---and wanted to tell you how happy that made me! You were supportive, and even if you didn't have all the answers (does anyone???) you let them know there was someone listening. There were some awesome long timers here when I first joined LBT, and they were that way with me, and I tried to do the same with newbies as I got further into it, and am thrilled to see you doing the same. I remember my first thread, I was afraid no one cared enough to answer---I am glad to see you guys carrying on!!! Well I am going to go play some games, and go to bed. I have 2 trips to Albuquerque this week. I won't ave much time with my girls. My Dad goes to see his cardiologist on Tuesday, and then Rick goes for his check up on Thursday. I tried my best to schedule them the same day---it is 186 miles each way! But oh heck no! So back and forth I go!!!! Will check in with y'all in the morning! Kat

My DH had some problems that way following open heart surgery, he used his Incentive Spirometer faithfully, and it helped. He would start running fever in the hospital, and they would remind him to use it, and it helped...who would have thought that would help with fever!!!??? Glad to know you are hanging in there....keep us posted!!! Kat

There is no accross the board can and cannot eat lists. Some people have trouble with many things. As Gayle said some foods are serious trigger foods for some people. There is no way to tell in advance what you will or will not have problems with. Personally, I eat bread, I eat less of it by far, but that is a concious decision, not a pain based decision. When my restriction was at it's tightest, bread was a harder food to do. I am the same way with Pasta, I enjoy it in small quantities, with other food, grilled chicken or veggies. I have cut down on the foods that are not good for me, I focus on healthy food first. But in my case it has been by my choice and not by band choice. I consider myself a successful loser....without traditional "dieting". I eat and exercise now as I hope to for the remainder of my life. I do not want to give up my today in hopes for a tomorrow. I have lost well, my blood pressure, and blood sugars are all normal again, as is my cholesterol. In my opinion my band has been highly successful for me. I recommend it frequently! Not everyone will have the same experience I do. My SIL and I were banded the same day by the same Dr, and she does have issue with a lot of different foods. 2 other banded friends, eat basically like I do, and have no problems with foods. I wish there was a way to know pre banding what your experiences would be...but there isn't. Some foods can and may end up being a problem---but the first step to figuring out if they ARE triggers or not, is to eat them in the proper way for a bandster to eat. Kat

Michelle, I don't mean to skirt the question, but it really depends on what kind of horses the stable runs, some are much stockier than others. I have a friends Dad who rides hours everyday, he works for the sale barn, and he is almost 300 pounds, but he rides a short legged mustang bigger around than a 55 gallon drum, the horse is as stocky as they man. I personally ride a quarter horse, and did not get back on until I was in the neighborhood of 225. I was afraid at that point of being unable to mount up. I had not hefted my own weight, even if I was 60 pounds less, in years. I practiced that----I was really worried about it!!! I did manage it, but it was akward at best! It has improved, a lot of it come back to me. I would suggest calling the stable, you could always do it anonymously! And ask about weight limits, etc. Get the nerves about that out of the way first, you want to approach the lesson with as much calm about you as you can. And I will tell you---you will get addicted.....!!! Kat

The overall reason the stats are stated the way they were citing strictly POST menopausal women are due to hormone production being linked to weight. My fill Dr. expalined it to me in the same way. He said hormones are similar to the stock market...when stocks go up, bonds come down and visa versa, with us, when one hormone goes up, others go down or surge to try to compensate....and estrogen is a big factor in how other hormones work. He said for years it was seen as a normal thing for a woman to gain weight following menopause, or a hysterectomy. This changed with HRT, and has been studied much more since that time. He said there are many tests being done now connecting grehlin--the hunger hormone produced by the stomach, and estrogen. I think if we were to dig deep enough we could likely find a study to support most any stance a Dr. wants to take on the band, with it being as relatively new as it is. And his saying that may have been no more than that being the most recent studies he had received. I mean I don't see this as being any different than any other medical studies being done, and they contradict one another all the time. That being said, I KNOW for a fact I was able to lose weight without serious issue, and I am both over 45, and have had a complete hystrectomy, ovaries included. I know many on this board losing faster, and many slower. I have not eliminated any foods from my diet, I eat everything in moderation, and I exercise moderately as well. I am doing my best to lose this weight in the same manner I hope to live the remainder of my life! I was never diagnosed with sleep apnea, I was never tested, I know I woke myself up often snoring! I no longer snore---so I know it was weight induced. My cholesterol has dropped into normal range, my blood sugar is in the low side of normal, and my blood pressure is right on target---my PCP is so impressed they are planning to have his wife banded! I was his first patient to have it done. When I went to surgery I was taking Lotensin and HCTZ for blood pressure, I take nothing now. I was taking Metformin for blood sugar, I take nothing now. And I was taking Lovastatin for cholesterol, I take nothing now. For the first time in well over a decade, I take not a single prescription medication. Only using occasional Tylenol etc, OTC for headache or something. No meds. I will say it sucks that my insurance company is benefitting from this since they did nothing to help it! Hang in there, and maybe schedule an appointment to talk to him at more length about it. I have had different results than what he says. I would recommend the lap band to anyone! Kat

HI! Welcome to bandland and welcome to LBT! I think you will find this site to be invaluable as you recover and encounter new things with your bands! Experienced bandsters will be here to advise, and support! Keep in mind this is a really busy time of year for people, with vacations and kids out of school---so if you don't get an answer quickly, bump it like jubie, did, and hopefully one of us will pay attention!! At this point you should both be on liquids still. It is VERY important to follow the post op diet guidelines, even more important than the pre-op. There are internal stitches holding your band in place, and you do not want them disturbed as they heal. Bloating, and swelling, as well as gas pain, are the most common complaints following banding. They do go away!!! If you have gas issues try the Gas X and walk, walk, walk! Sip slowly, to keep yourself hydrated. Look for some Clear Liquids with Protein, I used zero carb Isopure. It has 40 g. of protein per bottle, I bought mine at GNC. The protein helps keep hunger down, and also it helped my energy level while healing. I would get to feeling run down, and it did help. I would say that within a week the bloating should ease, and you should begin feeling more normal! It is different for everyone, some go right back to work, some are off for 1-2 weeks---there is no predicting how YOU will do. Just baby yourself a bit, and soon this phase will be behind you. Once again I will stress, whatever you do, stick with your liquids, until your Dr. instructs otherwise. There will come a time when that is difficult, and will seem impossible, but we all did it and you can to---when it gets bad, log on and vent with us!!! Good luck on your recovery, you sound like you are doing perfectly normal healing type things---hang in there!!! Kat