Band_Groupie

'Band Jovi' LOL!!! (I've already named mine and don't have it yet.) What a difference 6 months can make! -BG

WOW...Onederland here you come!!! Get the crowds ready for the 'happy dance' (got my dancing shoes on)! That's great! I'm asking for that Wii Fit for my B-day (sounds very fun). Good job! -BG

If you haven't already, you can do a search for this topic and you'll find lots of threads and opinions. I have a choice of either LB or Realize. I did my research and I will be getting the AP Lap Band (he'll decide Standard or Large when he does the surgery). Supposedly the new Realize C will make them more equal (according to Dr.Curry- suregeon that posts here and on OH), but it is in the trial stage now (I believe it will be widely distributed by summer), so most docs are still using the old Realize now. If you want some links to info, just send me a PM. They both have very equal results in the end. -BG

OK, what can I give you for Valentine's Day? I already gave you Chocolate Man (the PERFECT man). Hmmm…I know! The gift of love! Loving yourself that is! Here for your enjoyment is the Virtual You (MY Virtual Model)! Not only can you see yourself now, but you can see what you’ll look like as you get smaller! I’m telling you even the fat me looks WAY better than the real me (my model has no rolls, dimples or flab)…so she’s easy to love, even at my current fat weight. OK, some information before you begin…You DON’T have to register to make your models or play with the weights (but you do need to register if you want to save them). I just go and play and turn my models around in their underwear to see me how others do now…and how I will look thinner. It’s men and women but they only go up to 350 and 250 pounds respectively, and the weights don’t change with every pound (changes come about every 10 pounds or so). There is an Adjust My Figure +- tab under personalize that will add some weight. Click on the Create. Then select the Man or Woman tab. Then try the tabs ontop. -Personalize: Then you get to play with all the fun stuff. You don’t have to enter your name. You can change your shape, your current weight, face, features, hair (always wanted to try a new hair color/ ‘do’, now you can). It’s like a SIM. -Dress Up: The site is actually trying to sell you clothing, so you can try all different kinds of outfits on if you want to from different manufacturers (I’d at least change into something besides the ‘granny panties’ the default gives you). If you register you can keep outfits in your Closet, and Send them to others. -Weight Loss: Now the really fun part…what will I look like when I lose 50#, 100#? Now you can rotate your model (pop ups below model) to see you from all angles. See your butt 100# lighter…Wow! Have fun! HERE

OK, what can I give you for Valentine's Day? I already gave you Chocolate Man (the PERFECT man). Hmmm…I know! The gift of love! Loving yourself that is! Here for your enjoyment is the Virtual You (MY Virtual Model)! Not only can you see yourself now, but you can see what you’ll look like as you get smaller! I’m telling you even the fat me looks WAY better than the real me (my model has no rolls, dimples or flab)…so she’s easy to love, even at my current fat weight. OK, some information before you begin…You DON’T have to register to make your models or play with the weights (but you do need to register if you want to save them). I just go and play and turn my models around in their underwear to see me how others do now…and how I will look thinner. It’s men and women but they only go up to 350 and 250 pounds respectively, and the weights don’t change with every pound (changes come about every 10 pounds or so). There is an Adjust My Figure +- tab under personalize that will add some weight. Click on the Create. Then select the Man or Woman tab. Then try the tabs ontop. -Personalize: Then you get to play with all the fun stuff. You don’t have to enter your name. You can change your shape, your current weight, face, features, hair (always wanted to try a new hair color/ ‘do’, now you can). It’s like a SIM. -Dress Up: The site is actually trying to sell you clothing, so you can try all different kinds of outfits on if you want to from different manufacturers (I’d at least change into something besides the ‘granny panties’ the default gives you). If you register you can keep outfits in your Closet, and Send them to others. -Weight Loss: Now the really fun part…what will I look like when I lose 50#, 100#? Now you can rotate your model (pop ups below model) to see you from all angles. See your butt 100# lighter…Wow! Have fun! HERE

Ahhhh...I was savoring every last word. Spring can't come here soon enough! I'm a huge gardener..flowers, pond, herb garden, and a big boxed veggie garden-with deer fencing (well, that one's officially my DS/DH domain). I keep telling my PT she has to get me in shape for gardening this spring. We'll be starting seeds inside soon (grow lights)...I'm so jealous of you! Nasty Ol' Man Winter! -BG

We went to Kohl’s (department store) tonight for a sale and I decided to pick up a few of the things on my “Surgery List”. I got some slide in slippers for the hospital (because I won’t be able to bend over to put slippers on) and one of those nifty Magic Bullets for pre-chewing my food for me, and then I decided to pick up a few sports bras. Someone here suggested buying sports bras for several reasons; they’re great in the hospital when you don’t want an underwire bothering you or your incisions, and they’re good when you’re losing weight as they’ll last longer than a regular bra (yeah NOT where I need to lose, so that’s exactly what will happen). Sports Bra…SOUNDS like a good idea, right? Let me start by saying I’ve never owned a sports bra. Now I’ve had tanks with built in bras, but I’ve never needed a sports bra. OK, DH helps me look (nice guy, huh, flipping through the bra section with all the women). So we found two in my current size and one in the next band size down (I’m thinking I might need this once I lose a few inches). So I go to the dressing room to try them on, yelling over my shoulder “Honey, I’ll just be a minute!” (we were done shopping after this). My size fits fine…boy these aren’t too hard to get on, but they aren’t easy to get off (and remember I’m in Physical Therapy for my shoulder, partly). That should have been a clue. I happily try on the next size down…it’s tight…too tight to even want to take home “because you might fit into it soon”…yeah, THAT kind of tight…like now I can hardly breath tight. So I start frantically trying to peel it off…It tightly rolls up until it’s a tight twisted band at armpit level now…OK, now what to do…I try reaching across and grabbing one side at a time…nothing budges…my arms are too fat to pull it up around. I try the old cross both arms and trying pulling on both sides at once...nothing…except now my shoulder is killing me and the ‘rubber band bra' is now a tiny bit higher…just enough to keep my arms above my head now. OK, I KID YOU NOT PEOPLE…I SPENT ANOTHER 10 MIN. TRYING TO GET THE D#*M SPORTS BRA OFF!! I was seriously considering giving up and calling for help, hoping someone else was in the dressing room (pretty sure it was empty). Picture me yelling for help and the sight I’d be when the door opened to my dressing room…fat lady, naked from the waist up, twisted rubber band across the top of her chest and forcing her to hold her arms above her head. Yeah, that picture made me give it one last shot…I’m pretty sure I dislocated my shoulder (my PT is sooo going to kill me tomorrow) but with a cry of pain I got the D@*M thing off. DH “What the heck happened to you? I thought you died in there!” Me “I did...let’s go.”

Congrats! And thanks for all the detail...it really helps us pre-ops! Feel beeter soon. -BG

Jennifer, If you haven't already, I'd highly recommend you join the December 2008 group (people who were banded that month). They'll be in the same 'place' you are and can relate to your current issues. Just go to this link below and do a post like you put in here an they'll include you in the group. Keep blogging here though, by all means if you'd like to journal your journey! Good luck. -BG December 2008 Bandsters - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum Ooops! Forgot to say WELCOME to LBT!

My one wish for Valentine's Day..a girl can dream! (remember, I'm pre-band) YouTube TV ad: Axe Dark Temtation: Chocolate Man...

READ the posts peeps! LOL

Congratulations! Now run, don't walk, to the Post-Op Forum! Whoot!

Ahh...you Star-Bellies! The Sneetches AuthorDr. Seuss (Sylvester McMonkey McBean, I'm onto you!....voting....NOW!) LOL

Yeah, that's why they call it 'Bandster Hell' until you reach the sweet spot. BTW you're about my height (I'm less than 5'9" now, since I'm at the 'shrinking age' and 145 is super skinny for a guy-you don't want to lose muscle (I was pretty skinny at that weight). I put down 148 as a 'dream weight', but I'd be happy under 160 (I was there 8 years ago and looked pretty healthy then). I'd look at one of the more detailed charts that includes age/gender/bone structure/etc. and see what your "normal" BMI range should be. You'll know what's the right place to stop when you get there, but there's something about having a realistic goal so you can feel good about it when you get there!

24.3 pounds in 8 days??!! I don't even think RnY patients have that kind of loss! Awesome! I'm also really proud that you said something to the Dr. about the nurses...that took guts! -BG

My one wish for Valentine's Day..a girl can dream! (remember, I'm pre-band) YouTube TV ad: Axe Dark Temtation: Chocolate Man...

LOL...you crack me up! "I just need to remain upright. I you hear my fat ass hit the floor then you’ll know that my “form” is in trouble. I do find, however, that if I stand right where the mirrors come together that I look half my size"

Hope your break was great!

Lena- Time to get out of the 'trainers'...you deserve some real (fancy) bras! Memory- Don't even try it! Hospital-I'm thinking it's gotta hurt your incisions more to put your hands over your head (even if DH helps me get it off) then wearing a reg. bra would ever hurt.

I cashiered at a grocery store as a second job once and I also was a teacher. I can't tell you the number of times we saw abuse of government funds in both settings. ie. There are certain things you are not allowed to use food stamps to pay for, which people would always argue about (cigarettes, etc.) and their carts were always filled with the most expensive name brand foods, mostly junk, that most people can't afford (it was rare to see someone buy nutritious food with food stamps). I have two sisters and a BIL that still teach...abuse of the system by these type of parents is rampant and trust me, is one of the main/constant source of conversations between teachers. Oct. Mom is just a symptom of a greater problem, but I hope with the publicity and outrage that this at least makes the government take a closer look at what needs to be fixed. I can't wait for a year 1/2 from now when she says she'll be done with school and working full time outside the home as a counselor...yeah, right. Take a look at mom's fingernails in the Dateline segment. I noticed them immediately. And Kat- I applaud daycare and the wonderful service it provides working moms. I'm at home now, but we couldn't have afforded our three children without the jobs I had and the daycares that took such great care of my kids. They're older now, but they still bring up daycare/workers and wonderful memories they have. Thank you.

I’m back from my Physical Therapy. I was still so sore from my little ‘incident’ last night that I walked into PT and asked if I could start with the heat and electrical stimulation. I gave my PT a wink as she was working on someone and told her I had a little problem with my neck/shoulder and that I’d tell her later. Got off the heat and after an arm warm up she said she wanted to start (instead of end) with the massage/stretching she does. She comes running over when I’m back on the table and whispers like a school girl “So what happened?” (must have been something in my face)…I started whispering my sports bra injury story and she was hysterical with laughter. Now, you have to get that all the massage tables are right next to each other along one wall…I certainly don’t mind sharing…not much embarrasses me (yes, you knew that), but I didn’t want to embarrass the dozen or so guys around me…TMI and all that. Well, we were laughing so hard everyone was staring as I whispered my way through the horror of the dressing room. When I was done I asked “So what’s the weirdest thing someone was injured doing that came to you for PT?” I’m thinking there’s got to be some pretty crazy stuff…I’ve got doctors and nurses for family and friends and they’ve always got the wildest stories about patients, I thought they HAD to see some pretty whacky stuff in PT too, right? Apparently not…or some patients are lying (you know who you are...fess up!). She said “Oh, I could probably write a book, but your sports bra injury would be on page 1- Chapter One!” The guys next to us heard the first part about writing the book and another PT asked “Writing a book on what?” She says “Strange ways people injure themselves.” Here it comes… “Like what?” I turn to him (now the whole area is listening) and (I figure it’s all over at this point anyway) with a really load whisper “Sports Bra Injury!” All the men look confused, but the few women there all start nodding their heads and I get immediate feedback all at once from the gals “Oh, yea!” “ I’ve had that happen!” “Those things are terrible to get off!” “I’ve always wondered why they don’t put hooks on those too!” “Oh, I have to buy them 2 sizes larger just to get them off!” I’m thinking…OK, if this is so common, why didn’t someone warn me ahead of time. Where were you gals when I was walking into the dressing room with two smaller sizes? The guys at this point are all laughing hysterically. Then the women go for after the guys “Yea, you wouldn’t understand!” “You should just try getting one of those things off!” “Yea, buy one for your wife for Valentine’s Day and see how easy it is for her to take it off!” “Better yet, you should try one of hers on and see how hard it is!” At this point I’m picturing that tightly twisted rubber band bra and men’s chest hair…probably the ONLY thing that could make that more painful. I’m being really careful the next few weeks….don’t want to be Chapter Two.

You can try, but you probably won't get a straight answer from your insurance co. on this (and you're going to have to figure out a clever way to ask 'what happens if I fall below my minimum BMI before approval?' either 35 or 40). I've found that the insurance person at the surgeon's office is the best source for an answer to this, as they deal with your insurance co. all the time (hopefully, if you're local). Be aware that even they are not legally allowed to tell you directly not to lose weight, so just ask the question so it's worded correctly, or pay careful attention to their answer. I asked if I could fall below my minimum BMI of 35 before approval and her reply was "If you are below the minimum 35 BMI when we submit for approval, then you wouldn't need surgery, would you?" I replied "Got it, nuff said." and she smiled...I've read others here who don't 'get' what they're trying to tell you (without telling you). My theory is better safe than sorry. I attended 3 seminars and 2 of them actually put in their handouts that the expectation for the diet is not to gain any (people get denied for gaining even one pound) but not to lose much either. My surgeon's sample PCP letter includes the phrase "was unable to lose any significant amount of weight". My PCP 'gets' this as she's had other WLS patients...she actually scolded me last visit for losing 4 pounds. I think after you've had the discussion with your surgeon's insurance/billing person, if the expectation is not to lose much, then I'd have a frank discussion with my PCP that if I fall below X then the insurance company will deny me. I'd ask my PCP to focus the time on helping to educate me on the changes that will be needed after the surgery (we discuss exercise, diet/protein, no liquids with meals, things like that). If your PCP doesn't know much, see it as an opportunity to spend a few min. each month educating them.

Like I've said before, there's enough 'crazy' to go around here and many to blame. Just as there are so many bad consequences in the fallout from the outcome of this; money, parenting time, emotional consequences, kids suffering, her parents suffering, etc. Whoever said the real issue here is the fact that choices were consciously made (by several people) and now others have to ‘pay’ the consequences (not just financial) for those choices…and that’s what’s just wrong. I have no doubt that this woman will get a windfall from something and will be financially secure. That doesn't negate the fact that her 'plan' for financial security (which she outlined in the interview), even with only having the '7th child' she wanted, doesn't hold up to my 7th graders math skills (and she has a college degree?). 60K max after her Masters can't possibly fulfill her 'plan' (again even with just 7 kids) of not accepting any more government help, soon getting her own bigger home, paying back 50K (+ the next 1 1/2 years more of loans) in student loans, paying for childcare so she can work full time (as a counselor, which can't be at home), and meeting the need of all her children herself, even the disabled ones. And even a kindergartener can tell you that the second half of her plan isn’t possible, while being away from home for full time work, being the only parent, and yet being "there" to meet all the needs of 7 kids (let’s pretend), 3 disabled (and again, pretending it was only 1 more, maybe the 7th). Saying I love them unconditionally, therefore I'm responsible/not selfish doesn't make it true (I went back a re-read the transcripts and she really doesn't answer many of the questions at all). I believe she loves them, but that doesn't make her responsible or not selfish. One of the things I've ingrained in my kids is "Life is about our choices and results or consequences"...I encourage my kids to take chances in life, but responsible ones where they think through the possible consequences and are prepared to handle those consequences themselves, then they make the choice...we all get consequences sometimes (that’s life), but we shouldn’t take a chance/make a choice if we can’t handle the consequences ourselves, or if it has the possibility of greatly negatively impacting someone else. I don't expect others to ‘pay’ for my poor choices (and I'm not just talking about money). I get crazy mad when people don't take responsibility for their own choices (it's my 'right' to inflict my consequences on others?) and the chances that they took (I'm also angry at those who have walked away from their homes/mortgages, and I’m equally mad at the person who’s poor choice took an emotional toll on an innocent person-Grandparents raising their grandchildren when it's not their choice). Again, even with a windfall the choices that were made here and the chances that were taken will continue to have consequences (maybe not financial ones) on many others, not the least of which are the children (money can’t buy the time of a mother’s attention).

I’m back from my Physical Therapy. I was still so sore from my little ‘incident’ last night that I walked into PT and asked if I could start with the heat and electrical stimulation. I gave my PT a wink as she was working on someone and told her I had a little problem with my neck/shoulder and that I’d tell her later. Got off the heat and after an arm warm up she said she wanted to start (instead of end) with the massage/stretching she does. She comes running over when I’m back on the table and whispers like a school girl “So what happened?” (must have been something in my face)…I started whispering my sports bra injury story and she was hysterical with laughter. Now, you have to get that all the massage tables are right next to each other along one wall…I certainly don’t mind sharing…not much embarrasses me (yes, you knew that), but I didn’t want to embarrass the dozen or so guys around me…TMI and all that. Well, we were laughing so hard everyone was staring as I whispered my way through the horror of the dressing room. When I was done I asked “So what’s the weirdest thing someone was injured doing that came to you for PT?” I’m thinking there’s got to be some pretty crazy stuff…I’ve got doctors and nurses for family and friends and they’ve always got the wildest stories about patients, I thought they HAD to see some pretty whacky stuff in PT too, right? Apparently not…or some patients are lying (you know who you are...fess up!). She said “Oh, I could probably write a book, but your sports bra injury would be on page 1- Chapter One!” The guys next to us heard the first part about writing the book and another PT asked “Writing a book on what?” She says “Strange ways people injure themselves.” Here it comes… “Like what?” I turn to him (now the whole area is listening) and (I figure it’s all over at this point anyway) with a really load whisper “Sports Bra Injury!” All the men look confused, but the few women there all start nodding their heads and I get immediate feedback all at once from the gals “Oh, yea!” “ I’ve had that happen!” “Those things are terrible to get off!” “I’ve always wondered why they don’t put hooks on those too!” “Oh, I have to buy them 2 sizes larger just to get them off!” I’m thinking…OK, if this is so common, why didn’t someone warn me ahead of time. Where were you gals when I was walking into the dressing room with two smaller sizes? The guys at this point are all laughing hysterically. Then the women go for after the guys “Yea, you wouldn’t understand!” “You should just try getting one of those things off!” “Yea, buy one for your wife for Valentine’s Day and see how easy it is for her to take it off!” “Better yet, you should try one of hers on and see how hard it is!” At this point I’m picturing that tightly twisted rubber band bra and men’s chest hair…probably the ONLY thing that could make that more painful. I’m being really careful the next few weeks….don’t want to be Chapter Two.

Whoot! CONGRATULATIONS Lovely! I'm glad everything went so well. Take it easy and slow. Sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk. -BG