swrktp

Hey Nicole your down again!! You are very firmly under 200 now!! Yea!! So how did you get over the plataeu? I am on another one. LOL. Story of my life. The two days I ate a bit more than I was suppose to I lost 2 pounds. Now I am being so careful and it is sticking to me again............

Ah well it must be the Fluid I am feeling than..........**whining to myself** .......It really hurts and is obviously sticking out. I will anxiously wait until I can't fill it anymore...........also my incisions are all healed up but look fragile like if I move the wrong way they could split open!! Kinda gives me shivers to look at them.........so I try not to!! Candra I don't have it all figured out!!! LOL. But I am trying to figure it out!! I still miss my diet coke but mostly just the carbonation now.................I think no soda is good for me because I lived on it and needed to give it up if I ever hoped to be healthy and lose weight. That truly was my addiction..........I walked around with a coke bottle all the time...........still have the bottle but now it is crystal light!! LOL. Tell us what you think of Richmond Kaiser once you get over there!!

Ah Sheena I checked out your blog it is great. I signed up. Will be so excited to see and hear how it goes............. Girl your looking great!! OMG you have lost so much weight since the first pictures. Seriously you are doing great!! I hear ya about Sac State........I went there for four years and ah yea having surgery while in school would not have worked. Too intense and to much going on............. Excited to hear how things go for you. 22 days now!!! Hey Nicole you updated your blog too!! I just added on to yours as well. So fun to keep up with everyone!!

All addictions are about running away from something painful that would best be addressed.................no one want to deal with pain, painful feelings or feeling in adequate. But the only way out is through it. like they say you have to "wade through hell for hope." For me my HOPE is that I can get this weight thing address once and for all. 20 years is just to much time to deal with being overweight for me. Just I am not one to really volunteer to wade through hell!!! LOL. Although I think the minute I walked into Richmond Kaiser bariatrics orientation I knew I was taking a walk on the wild side............hell and all!! LOL. Truthfully it has not been bad...........or maybe I haven't hit the "hell or bandsters hell" just quite yet...............If I start to fail at this I know I will be hard on myself and that is what I hope to prevent!! Watching the show tonight I can see it is good to have a support group and they were talking about how only people who have been through the surgery will understand some of the struggles other bandsters have. I sorta liked and got that............... Ah relationship addiction is when women/men constant pick partners that hurt or abuse them and they feel they deserve it. They leave one realationship and than turn around and find another partner the same as the last...........after doing that several times you realize they are addicted to a partner treating them bad they feel they don't deserve better.......but also it has to do with the constant drama and chaos that a bad relationship causes...........if there is constant dram going on..........guess what you don't have to think or feel what is going on in your head..............most of the relationship addictions focus around domestic violence and abusive relationships!! I have alot of those women in my office................and many times they are very overweight......not sure how that all plays into things but an observation.

Ah nicole you watched the show too!! I thought it was interesting. .......I think they will play it again. I saw the last half of it last night and was happy they were playing it again so I could see the first half. Crazy how they did the fill........sorta scared me I would rather lay down for it!! LOL. Constant changes..........oh that is a problem with me too. I get so bored so quick. Than I create a situation that forces changes..........I think some people call that being a drama queen or a flighty...........for me I get bored and want constant change all the time. Again boredom does me in I do crazy things when I am bored. I know that. I don't think it is an addiction as much as a pattern of behavior. For me when things get to calm or to quiet I have to really think and examine my life.........good and bad..........sometimes if there is alot of changes and drama and takes away from me having to focus on myself and my own feelings............so for me I use constant changes as a way to distract from feelings..........usually painful or yucky feelings I don't want to deal with........but remember I eat alot when I am bored to........it all goes together for me!! I also have ADD and am suppose to be on medication. The meds made me gain 40 pounds and made me sleep all the time!! So I won't take them again but I do have to do some behavior mod type stuff instead..............the psych eval at Kaiser asked me about this too...........I guess ADD people can't follow a diet well but I have done fine. I just don't want meds and weight gain anymore. Kaiser's regular counseling is through psychaitry. The name is deceptive but it all the same thing. YOu don't see a psychatrist unless the therapist or social worker sends you see one. I did counseling through kaiser and you go to the psychaitry department but only see a therapist. It is totally worth the time and money. I like it. Nicole they should have explained it better to you. I am gonna try to get signed back up for counseling again. My other plan is to make the montly meetings at kaiser a priority and than meeting and keeping in contact with all you ladies. That has truly helped me alot the last few months............... I really, really want this to work and I want to set up a safety net all around me so I CAN'T get tired and fail!! Like Pam was saying after the newness wears off reality hits and I want to be ready for it!! Nicole you might want to try the psychaitry thing but tell them you want a therapist not the doctor. I loved the therapist I had with kaiser.........rancho cordova area!! I am gonna try to find her again!!

For the shoulder pain you gotta walk, walk, walk............believe me I was banded three weeks ago and I could not get rid of the gas pain until I started to walk. Stubborn me I tried to sleep it off the first three days............by day four it was hurting so bad I got up and paced the backyard............sure did get that gas moving around and out............it hurt to walk but it hurt more not to walk!!

Channel 70 if you have comast..........starts at 8pm. I think it would be great Reggie to start talking about emotional/psychological issues. I know now that I have the surgery that is my next focus. I don't want to defeat my band with unresolved issues!! LOL. Ok, ok.......yes I am a social worker and do this stuff for a living. I work with addicts all day long and know the ins and outs of addictions. Sure does suck when I have my own addictions issues because I can't fool myself..........not that I always chose to follow through with what I know needs to be done or why else would be I be where I am at today with food issues and my weight. But for me I know I have to stay on top of my emotional issues or I will find way to "eat around my band" Hear are a couple of things I do know..............for psychological addictions/head hunger you have to figure out your triggers, so you know.........if I am tired, stressed bored, whatever I am gonna want to overeat or snack. For me it is stress and boredom that do me in..........I am considering a new hobbie like exercise to deal with this..........I don't know what will work yet. The other important thing is to have a support system. That includes having an accountability person or group that will call you on stuff if you start to go back to bad habits...............another thing is to change friendships/relationships that pull you down or pull you into bad habits...........and yep journaling and counseling can help as well. For me I am realizing I have to deal with everything at the same time not just weight lose and dieting. I know myself too well I will do good for awhile but not forevr if I don't stay on top of this day by day..................anyone else in the same boat?? I think Kaiser needs to have more of a mental/psycological piece to the bariatrics..........I think that they want you to do that on your own. I just think the high failure rate of both surgeries is due to lack of dealing with the emotional/pscyh addictions.................. I work as an addiction specialist with addicts of all kinds. Mostly alcholics, drug and relationship addicts so this is just my personal bias from what I have seen and learned in my field the last 15 years, and also what I have learned about myself and my eating habits the last few years.............I just know I have to hit this all head on starting now to succeed. To be honest I started to deal with alot it of when I finally admitted to myself that I needed a drastic change in my life to get the weight off for good!! It has and will be a crazy ride I am sure. I just get frustrated when I hear the RNY vs. Lap band debate because I think it is so much bigger than which surgery you chose. It is alot what is going on in your head...........didn't Liz say something about we fix the hardware you fix the wiring?? That stuck with me because it made me realize how big the whole decision for surgery was!!

HEy everyone if you turn on MTV (kids channel I know!! LOL) there is a program called True Life...........it is all about a teen who had lap band surgery and his thoughts and feelings and his debating plastic surgery. Very informative!!! ALso a story about a girl who got RNY and how she lost 123 pounds but still saw herself as fat...........totally up our alley ladies!!

Ok this is a great post!! I am also vegetarian and it has been a struggle to get in all my protiens. I have a gathered a list of high protien/low fat options with my diatition................Would love to add to the list if you guys have suggestions. True most veggie meats are off limits but I have found a few................ Also tofu, cottage cheese, eggs and Beans. Beans are a starch though so you have to limit them. Tofurky meat cuts are high protien, low fat. Greek yogurt is good...............Loma Linda meats .........some of those are ok............... My surgeon doesn't like protien shakes but I use them sometimes. I also sprinkle protien powder on cream of wheat and stuff like that................. Any more suggestions welcome. My doctor would prefer I eat some meat but so far so good.............only thing is I think I lose slower this way.

Well I hope Liz is right..........I do wonder how much it is out of pocket. From reading other posts I would estimate about 200 or so a fill........ Is Candy ok? Anyone know??

Ah Christine good news about Kaiser. My only concern is that Dr. Baggs told me the opposite................. But as Liz said before, 'don't ask the doctors they don't know, ask me!!" LOL

Candy good thoughts coming your way!! I so know where your at as I was there three weeks ago today............just take the pain meds and sleep. Walk even if you don't feel like it, cause it helps......................Three weeks out all the issues of the first week are just a distant memory. Like Christine mentioned in a previous post. This surgery is a little more intense than I expected and it was somewhat painful (not unbearable)....for some us anyway........the first week or so. I would still do it again though.......... I know it is hard to believe on day 2 but it gets so much better and pretty quickly too!! Except for this pesky port and being tired all the time I am doing 1000% better than the first week!! Your in my thoughts today Candy!!

I chose the lap band for safety reasons. I felt it was safer and I did not want my insides cut up and moved around. To be honest I never even considered bariatrics until I heard Kaiser approved the lap band. I just don't think FOR ME it is right to change the "original design" of the stomach............ I know Kaiser made me question that a few times but in the end I always knew I was gonna go with the band........that is also what my family (that knows) supports. They all told me no RNY and they are medical people. Too many stories of RNY gone wrong. My sister is a nurse and she told me she has lots of RNY's with leaking, and serious nutritional problems come through her hospital. I am not having more kids unless I adopt. So that has nothing to do with my choice. I am done having kids!! I just couldn't go RNY and feel good about it!! Lap band I feel is a good choice for me. My only concern is that if I get laid off or move and lose kaiser it could be hard to get fills. BUt I will worry about that when if it happens!! Head hunger or the psychological addiction has to be address for any bariatric procedure to work!! I am an addiction specialist........go figure given my coke addiction.............and I can tell you I worry and focus alot more on the head addiction/psycological addiction with my drug using clients than on the physical addiction. Addiction is addiction no matter what you use and has GOT to be address for one to overcome an addiction. I wish Kaiser would focus a bit more on head hunger/psychological addictions because they will do you in........................maybe they do in the support groups I never seem to get to. If you can figure out what triggers that head hunger than your half way to resolving the issue................getting surgery is like putting a band aid on a wound but if you don't get in there and really clean the wound out the band aid won't help the infection will seep through..................that is my only compliant with Kaiser. I think we all should be REQUIRED to be in a support group and possibly counseling as well for at least a year maybe more..........lucky for me I have this group, but I have considered doing some counseling just to ensure I make this work out!! Ok just my thoughts I am rambling a bit here.........

Candy hope all is well.............. Reggie your up next girl!! Pretty soon we will all be banded and part of the bandsters............I still can't believe I have the band sometimes.............I wanted this for so long and now it is hard to believe how fast it actually went.......... Anxious to know if Candy is doing ok. I am sure she is sleeping away...........I know that is what I did the first three days!!

Anyone else overwhelmingly tired? I remember Liz said that the first three month you would be "more tired than you have ever been" but this is more tired than I expected. I talked to a nurse here and she says it is a result of the anesthesia, not to mention the shock of being on a liquid diet and the trauma of surgery..............she said 8 weeks to feel normal but really a good 3-4 to feel like you get your energy back!! My BP is to low even without the meds so I am going back to the doctor this week to see what is going on. How could it go from to high to to low in three weeks?? But at least not cold all the time and I still have my hair so far..............

Thanks Nicole My port feels like it is poking out. When I get up or down it feels like it is pulling something apart inside..........I am sure it is just healing. But it is hard to drive and move around. Sitting in my car to drive is a killer........I have a small car. Getting in and out of chairs still hurts too......but only in the port area. I look forward to it fading out soon. Some people are telling me it never stops hurting. I gotta believe that is not true.

Hey Riley does you port still hurt?? Mine is killing me still. I am wondering how long this lasts???

Thanks for the update Christine. I have been thinking about her all morning!! So glad she is headed home and can get some sleep and start to heal!! Candy if you need anything let me know!! I sent my phone number over to your email address.................. Get lots of sleep and take the pain meds as long as you need them!! And remember everyday gets easier and easier................enjoy getting pampered for a few days!! Best wishes coming your way!!

Well Candy should be going in to surgery in the next 15 minutes now..................Wishing here the best!! Let us know as soon as you can how it all went!!

I have lost 35 and just went down a size. My tops went down alot faster than my bottoms. And I agree depends on the brand what fits. People are just starting to notice I have lost weight. Nobody said anything and just a few people recently have commented. No one knows about my surgery they thought I had surgery for a hernia. I told them I had to lose weight to have the surgery so not alot questions. For me my shape is changing, but not so much the actual weight on the scale. Things are just shifting around.

Nicole you did good with all the food over the weekend and you lost more weight................I can't wait to hear about your fill and how it goes and how much you get ect. Candy thinking about you girl!! I agree with Nicole post as soon as you can!! I am so excited for you!! Let us know that your ok and if you need anything!! A few more hours and welcome to the bandster side of things........ Nite all!!!

Ok Riley I will try to help you out with the picture. I am on the left with the black shirt (swrktp), than Pam(momof3), than Nicole (Audsmom) than Candy (meandmyweightloss) than Christine(swishbc) than Donna (rosyyyd1) Yea come on over sometime to meet up with us. I am afraid of not getting full enough even after fills. Tell us how it goes the next few weeks............I know I can eat more than I should most days!! Sorta worries me long term........but I am trying to relax and go along for the ride. I have had a few days when I wanted the RNY........not really...........but the fast weight loss I would like. Just not that malabsorbtion. But you know what I mean...............sometimes it is easy to imagine just how easy they have it!!

Finally the scale is going down again!! 2 pounds down......of course I haven't weighed since last Sunday. But I don't care when it fell off me I am just glad that it did!! :-) I am not gonna weigh again until next Sunday!!

Hello All I was banded on 4/13/09. I lost 10 pounds right away....now I am going up and down on the same three pounds. So frustrating I put the scale away and will only weigh once a week now. I lost 25 before sugery so I am at a 35 pound weight loss now. But I sure am stuck............. I am on liquids and thought maybe that is why I m losing so slowly. I know for sure I am not eating more than 800 calories a day. Getting my Water in. Protien on liquids is hard because my doctor doesn't like Protein shakes.............adding powder to liquids ect. I think your body sorta has to catch up with the weight loss sometimes and just levels out until it has the energy to start losing again........I don't know. I hope I start to lose again too........

So nice to meet you too Donna!! Yes I think we need to start a new thread. Our group started out small and has exploded. Funny thing is reading back we lost the person who started the thread as well as a couple others who were around early in the process...............have no idea what happened to them?? Thanks for the picture that is so cool!! And I will let you know what I hear about fills in Sacramento!! I don't know how my doctor knows about all this since she barely knows about the lap band............but she said it has been a big topic around Kaiser for awhile now!! So I hope it turns out to be true!! I would miss seeing the Kaiser staff however if they weren't part of the fill clinics...............I might still go over to Richmond once in awhile for a fill just to check in!! :-)