skeeterbait8

That's horrible what has happened to you. Keep us posted as to how your doing. Band or no band.

Hi Amy! I'm across the hill north of you in Virginia, a little west of Jonesville. I had my surgery in March. I've not done so well with the weight loss, but I believe that it is partly due to my age, heck I'm 55, and 6 years past menopause, so things have really slowed down with me to the point of crawling. I had my surgery in Hazard Kentucky. I had met everyone in Dr. Weiss's office at a seminar and really liked them. So we opted to stay with them. My husband had the band too. He's doing fantastic with it. Darn man! :thumbdown: Wish I lived just a little closer. Dianne

Well, I'm doing a little bit better today than I was the last time I posted in my blog. I've not really made any real changes in my eating habits, still staying away from foods that I know I shouldn't have. That hasn't really been the problem. And it's not really been portion control. Or at least I don't think so???? But I am starting to notice a difference. We were out yesterday and we both ordered the same thing that we have in the past. This time I reached full just a little past 1/2 of the meal! Whoa! I'm shocked. Maybe finally getting up to 7 cc's in my band is what it took to get me to my sweet spot to finally begin my journey. Who knows. But at least I'm not wanting to sit and cry all the time now. That's a good thing. Guess I'll see how today goes and just keep on trying. I've got to do something fast, Hubby is about to catch up and pass me on the scales! :cool:

Well, I'm doing a little bit better today than I was the last time I posted in my blog. I've not really made any real changes in my eating habits, still staying away from foods that I know I shouldn't have. That hasn't really been the problem. And it's not really been portion control. Or at least I don't think so???? But I am starting to notice a difference. We were out yesterday and we both ordered the same thing that we have in the past. This time I reached full just a little past 1/2 of the meal! Whoa! I'm shocked. Maybe finally getting up to 7 cc's in my band is what it took to get me to my sweet spot to finally begin my journey. Who knows. But at least I'm not wanting to sit and cry all the time now. That's a good thing. Guess I'll see how today goes and just keep on trying. I've got to do something fast, Hubby is about to catch up and pass me on the scales! :thumbup:

At first I thought, this will be great, hubby and I will go through this together, watch each other go from HUGE to smaller, normal size people. Well that isn't happening. At least not for me it isn't. Now with him.... WOW! He's already lost 58+ pounds! :thumbup: I'm not doing so good. IN fact at the last appointment (Thursday) I had gained 1.5 pounds! AND we are more or less eating the same things! I HATE MY BODY! :rolleyes2: :rolleyes2: :thumbup: HATE IT! :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: I'm keeping a food journal now to prove that I'm not cheating. I know I could get off my A$$ and move more, but it hurts so much that do to the 1/2 to one mile that i do get in is about all I can do for now. Please Lord give me the strength to get this fat off before I die.

At first I thought, this will be great, hubby and I will go through this together, watch each other go from HUGE to smaller, normal size people. Well that isn't happening. At least not for me it isn't. Now with him.... WOW! He's already lost 58+ pounds! :thumbup: I'm not doing so good. IN fact at the last appointment (Thursday) I had gained 1.5 pounds! AND we are more or less eating the same things! I HATE MY BODY! :thumbup: :) HATE IT! :smile2: :cursing: :cursing: I'm keeping a food journal now to prove that I'm not cheating. I know I could get off my A$$ and move more, but it hurts so much that do to the 1/2 to one mile that i do get in is about all I can do for now. Please Lord give me the strength to get this fat off before I die.

5 years, 4 months and 19 days. That is how long my friend Kim lasted after we did our kidney transplant. On May 7, the phone rang with the news of Kim's passing. Although I knew it was coming it still set me back. Kim was so young. Way to young to die now. It should have been Kim coming to my funeral rather than me going to hers. Kim's family treated us so well. Better than some of our own extended family in fact. I worry about her husband and daughter. I know that he sat with Kim every 113 days that she was in the hospital this last time. He will be so lost without her. I know that at some point in his life he will find love again, but he had better make darn sure that we all approve of his choice first or it will be hell to pay! I really miss my friend. I've wanted to pick up the phone and call so many times in this past week. I've still got her home/work/cell #'s on our phones. I can't bring my self to erase them yet. I know that at some point I will but just not now. It seems strange to realize that 300 miles away in a cemetery that several years ago I never knew of lay 3 friends. First came Cheryl, then Kim's mother, now Kim. I'm not sure if I'll be up there any more, I know that I don't need to keep butting into peoples lives, but maybe I will if nothing else to go visit their graves and sit and talk a while. I did tell Sam that the offer/promise that I made to Kim is still on. May of 2010 I'm paying for a cabin in Pigeon Forge for no less than a week. All Sam and Ashley need to do is show up. Rest in peace my friend. You were loved and will be forever missed.

5 years, 4 months and 19 days. That is how long my friend Kim lasted after we did our kidney transplant. On May 7, the phone rang with the news of Kim's passing. Although I knew it was coming it still set me back. Kim was so young. Way to young to die now. It should have been Kim coming to my funeral rather than me going to hers. Kim's family treated us so well. Better than some of our own extended family in fact. I worry about her husband and daughter. I know that he sat with Kim every 113 days that she was in the hospital this last time. He will be so lost without her. I know that at some point in his life he will find love again, but he had better make darn sure that we all approve of his choice first or it will be hell to pay! I really miss my friend. I've wanted to pick up the phone and call so many times in this past week. I've still got her home/work/cell #'s on our phones. I can't bring my self to erase them yet. I know that at some point I will but just not now. It seems strange to realize that 300 miles away in a cemetery that several years ago I never knew of lay 3 friends. First came Cheryl, then Kim's mother, now Kim. I'm not sure if I'll be up there any more, I know that I don't need to keep butting into peoples lives, but maybe I will if nothing else to go visit their graves and sit and talk a while. I did tell Sam that the offer/promise that I made to Kim is still on. May of 2010 I'm paying for a cabin in Pigeon Forge for no less than a week. All Sam and Ashley need to do is show up. Rest in peace my friend. You were loved and will be forever missed.

This could turn into a rather long post, so hang on, and hope you're sitting in a comfortable chair. The phone rang today. My heart sank when I saw on the caller ID who it was. I was afraid to answer. It was the husband of one of my best friends. Sam was calling me with news that we needed to prepare ourselves for what was about to happen. Now I know that no matter what you do, no matter how you know that the person that you care about will not suffer any more, there is really nothing that you can do to prepare yourself for a death. I've cried till my eyes hurt and still cry some more. I've lost several family members during my almost 55 years. Two grandmothers and one grandfather, several aunts, uncles and cousins and several people that I have known for a long time. But none as close as a friend as Kim. I don't mean to talk about her as if she has already gone. She is still alive. Or at least some faint form of life. I guess I need to go back and start at the beginning for you to understand why my heart is breaking. In December 1997 my husband was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer. He was sent to see a doctor at UVA hospital in Charlottesville, VA. We both had spent many a night already due to other family members illness but this time decided to stay somewhere other than in a motel in Charlottesville. We had picked up a copy of a hotel/motel coupon book. Stopped at a Days Inn that was in Waynesboro and asked that even though they didn't have an add in there would they honor the same rates for a Days Inn that was in Staunton. They said...... Sure! And as they say the rest is history. There were two lovely ladies that was working there, one as general manager and the other as assistant manager. Dawn and Kim. Not to mention some super people that worked the desk that proved that they were caring wonderful people. But anyhow, Kim and I just hit it off. Have you ever met someone that you felt as if you had known them all your life? That is how it was with Kim. What was even more strange was when we realized several months later that we had actually met her father over a year before we met her! Then there were just those little things that really seemed to really draw even more attention to the fact that we were meant to be friends. Both of our mothers name is "Betty". Her husband and I share the same birthday, May 25. We were the same blood type, A+ and finally we would share a kidney named "Sydney". Kim had been a diabetic since she was a teenager. Over the years the disease had taken it's toll on her. Kim had lost a toe and finally lost her kidneys. In March of 2003 Kim called me one morning to say that she was on her way to the dialysis center. A few weeks later she was put on the transplant list. I know that several of her family members were ruled out right off the bat due to health issues. Some were tested but their kidneys didn't work well enough. Then came the day that we were at her house and it was the same day that even her husband found out that his function wasn't good enough either. That's where my part of this story came in. I had lost some weight at that point but needed to loose another 15 pounds. To my surprise I did it in a MONTH! Then I was able to start the initial testing here at a hospital near my home. Things went rather well. I passed all the test that were done here then they made me come up to UVA for more testing. In October my phone rang with the news that a date for our surgery had been set. December 18, 2003. One week to the day before Christmas! Checked into the hospital that morning, Kim and I both were not scared, nervous or anything. Can't say the same for our families! At one point I told them to hush their crying, I'd be right back! I never will forget all the long talks we would have. We would talk a lot online at first. Then came the long phone calls. And would we ever talk about anything and everything! One of our favorite topics was about how things floated in Hot Tubs! I'll not say another word about that here! We would laugh till we about wet our panties then laugh some more. I'm really going to miss her laugh. On January 15, 2009 Kim checked into UVA hospital for surgery to move her pancreas from where it was first put to another location that hopefully wouldn't cause so much trouble. I wish now that they had left things alone. I don't know exactly what caused all the infection, I'm no doctor or expert. But I can't help but feeling that if they had left things alone that maybe she wouldn't be on her death bed now. I've got an Angel that Kim had given me just before our transplant. It has a built in recorder that Kim had recorded a message on it for me. To my surprise after over 5 years it still plays! I'm going to set it up, record it on video just in case it quits and I never get to hear her again. I know I'm not the first person that will have lost a friend. Kim is one among many friends I've lost over the years. But none will hurt me as much as loosing Kim. I've got a couple friends that I've had longer that mean just as much to me, Scottie and Lisa. But to watch a good person die little by little is so hard. Kim, we gave it our best girlfriend. We tried. I tried. Rest in peace when it's your time to go on. Always know that you will never be forgotten and that you were loved. This was Kim and myself the morning of the transplant. Do we look like either of us were scared? Don't you just love those matching outfits of ours!

OH do I feel your pain. I consider myself lucky just to have lived till my step daughters are adults. BUT then there is the little fact that one of them still delights in making my life pure hell! It never ends. Hang in there!

This could turn into a rather long post, so hang on, and hope you're sitting in a comfortable chair. The phone rang today. My heart sank when I saw on the caller ID who it was. I was afraid to answer. It was the husband of one of my best friends. Sam was calling me with news that we needed to prepare ourselves for what was about to happen. Now I know that no matter what you do, no matter how you know that the person that you care about will not suffer any more, there is really nothing that you can do to prepare yourself for a death. I've cried till my eyes hurt and still cry some more. I've lost several family members during my almost 55 years. Two grandmothers and one grandfather, several aunts, uncles and cousins and several people that I have known for a long time. But none as close as a friend as Kim. I don't mean to talk about her as if she has already gone. She is still alive. Or at least some faint form of life. I guess I need to go back and start at the beginning for you to understand why my heart is breaking. In December 1997 my husband was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer. He was sent to see a doctor at UVA hospital in Charlottesville, VA. We both had spent many a night already due to other family members illness but this time decided to stay somewhere other than in a motel in Charlottesville. We had picked up a copy of a hotel/motel coupon book. Stopped at a Days Inn that was in Waynesboro and asked that even though they didn't have an add in there would they honor the same rates for a Days Inn that was in Staunton. They said...... Sure! And as they say the rest is history. There were two lovely ladies that was working there, one as general manager and the other as assistant manager. Dawn and Kim. Not to mention some super people that worked the desk that proved that they were caring wonderful people. But anyhow, Kim and I just hit it off. Have you ever met someone that you felt as if you had known them all your life? That is how it was with Kim. What was even more strange was when we realized several months later that we had actually met her father over a year before we met her! Then there were just those little things that really seemed to really draw even more attention to the fact that we were meant to be friends. Both of our mothers name is "Betty". Her husband and I share the same birthday, May 25. We were the same blood type, A+ and finally we would share a kidney named "Sydney". Kim had been a diabetic since she was a teenager. Over the years the disease had taken it's toll on her. Kim had lost a toe and finally lost her kidneys. In March of 2003 Kim called me one morning to say that she was on her way to the dialysis center. A few weeks later she was put on the transplant list. I know that several of her family members were ruled out right off the bat due to health issues. Some were tested but their kidneys didn't work well enough. Then came the day that we were at her house and it was the same day that even her husband found out that his function wasn't good enough either. That's where my part of this story came in. I had lost some weight at that point but needed to loose another 15 pounds. To my surprise I did it in a MONTH! Then I was able to start the initial testing here at a hospital near my home. Things went rather well. I passed all the test that were done here then they made me come up to UVA for more testing. In October my phone rang with the news that a date for our surgery had been set. December 18, 2003. One week to the day before Christmas! Checked into the hospital that morning, Kim and I both were not scared, nervous or anything. Can't say the same for our families! At one point I told them to hush their crying, I'd be right back! I never will forget all the long talks we would have. We would talk a lot online at first. Then came the long phone calls. And would we ever talk about anything and everything! One of our favorite topics was about how things floated in Hot Tubs! I'll not say another word about that here! We would laugh till we about wet our panties then laugh some more. I'm really going to miss her laugh. On January 15, 2009 Kim checked into UVA hospital for surgery to move her pancreas from where it was first put to another location that hopefully wouldn't cause so much trouble. I wish now that they had left things alone. I don't know exactly what caused all the infection, I'm no doctor or expert. But I can't help but feeling that if they had left things alone that maybe she wouldn't be on her death bed now. I've got an Angel that Kim had given me just before our transplant. It has a built in recorder that Kim had recorded a message on it for me. To my surprise after over 5 years it still plays! I'm going to set it up, record it on video just in case it quits and I never get to hear her again. I know I'm not the first person that will have lost a friend. Kim is one among many friends I've lost over the years. But none will hurt me as much as loosing Kim. I've got a couple friends that I've had longer that mean just as much to me, Scottie and Lisa. But to watch a good person die little by little is so hard. Kim, we gave it our best girlfriend. We tried. I tried. Rest in peace when it's your time to go on. Always know that you will never be forgotten and that you were loved. This was Kim and myself the morning of the transplant. Do we look like either of us were scared? Don't you just love those matching outfits of ours!

OK, so it isn't a great big huge amount, but it sure beats what I lost the last weigh in! If I had lost an average of that same amount the first month I'd be tickled to death. :glare: I went in yesterday for my second fill. Another 2cc's in my 14cc band. Honestly I still don't feel any big difference. Am I supposed to? Will I? We go back in two weeks for another fill. This next fill will make Jim's 4th fill and my 3rd. He's already up to 5 cc. Lori slows down after the first two fills. The first two she will put 2cc's, after that it is 1cc. I hope how soon I feel something is different. This is pure hell knowing that I've got this band around my stomach yet at the same time not really feeling any difference! That is just so not fair. And as tickled as I was with my 4.5 lb loss hubby has lost yet another 5 lb in that same time period. NEXT time I'll do what it takes to loose more than him, even if it is only by 1/2 pound! MORE is more by any tiny amount! :tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2: So if you don't hear from me for two weeks you will know why. I'm working very hard on trying to out loose hubby! :w00t:

Lagordita, I can relate a lot to what your going through. Especially the "Chocolate and cakes". BUT you know what that is the one thing that I've really not wanted since being banded! AND I was the biggest Choco-holic you've ever seen. And cakes........ get me near a Red Velvet and I started foaming at the mouth! But I think for me the thing that worked is my telling myself that I Have to change my eating habits or die a very fat/large personn at an early age. I'm doing a lot better. I've not touched a cigarette, Diet Pepsi or piece of chocolate or cake in weeks. I'm NOT even missing my smokes at all. In fact I'm thrilled that I finally kicked the habit after 34+ years! As far as my Diet Pepsi, oh yes ma'am I still have a craving for one every now and then, but I resist. But the chocolate/cakes/sweets in general cravings are GONE! Go figure. I still have trouble picking the best foods. I'm still hooked on fried foods (meats). BAD DIANNE! BAD!! But I am getting a little better and I always do eat my protein first. My worst part of all this is the "Getting off my A$$ and moving part." I'm a couch potato and I know it. Everyone is different and loose at different rates. I know that being the age that I am that I might have a little harder time than someone in their 20's/30's/even 40's. Take a deep breath, read and learn and always strive to do better. YOU are worth it! :ohmy:

OK, so it isn't a great big huge amount, but it sure beats what I lost the last weigh in! :thumbdown: If I had lost an average of that same amount the first month I'd be tickled to death. :mad: I went in yesterday for my second fill. Another 2cc's in my 14cc band. Honestly I still don't feel any big difference. Am I supposed to? Will I? We go back in two weeks for another fill. This next fill will make Jim's 4th fill and my 3rd. He's already up to 5 cc. Lori slows down after the first two fills. The first two she will put 2cc's, after that it is 1cc.:thumbup: I hope how soon I feel something is different. This is pure hell knowing that I've got this band around my stomach yet at the same time not really feeling any difference! That is just so not fair. And as tickled as I was with my 4.5 lb loss hubby has lost yet another 5 lb in that same time period. NEXT time I'll do what it takes to loose more than him, even if it is only by 1/2 pound! MORE is more by any tiny amount! :mad::tt2::smile2::tt2: So if you don't hear from me for two weeks you will know why. I'm working very hard on trying to out loose hubby! :thumbup:

Love the thread title! I'm sure that over the years that my kids would have thought the same thing if they had known about the LB! :thumbup: My hubby did this on 2-20-09 and I did 3 weeks to the day later. Me, I'm open and told well before hand. He wanted nobody to know. Well, he was off of work for a week with his and then when he went back there was already a big change in him. They asked questions, wondered and I'm sure that some worried. He really didn't lie to them about what he did, he sorta bent the truth a little. Left out some important facts. :smile: Some of them kept saying that he had went and had his "stomach stapled". He would flat out say NO I didn't. Then one day he let it slip about his "port". Oh that really set things going. He even told one guy that he was having trouble with "ED" and that he had the port/pump put in to help in that department! :thumbup: I still laugh at that one. Well they kept on and on and on. One fella then point blank asked, and seemed to be honestly concerned that he was loosing weight and that he thought that his cancer had came back. He told him the truth and since than all the ribbing that they had been giving him stopped.

Hang in there, I'm right behind you time wise, but you are way ahead of me weight loss wise. So be proud of that fact! I see that you are only in your 30's. Could the weight gain be due to it being that time or near that time of the month? I don't have that excuse any more. :scared2:

Very good talks all the way around!

I am here to tell you that you are NOT alone by any means. I'm having the worlds worst time of it. It does seem like I'm eating less, and I know I'm moving more, but OMG it refuses to leave this old body! So to me what you have lost already is AMAZING to me. Really something to be proud of. I went for my first fill this past Monday. So far I can't tell any difference what so ever. It's looking like I'm going to be one of those lucky few that will loose so little and take so darn long to do it. So for what you've done to date......... be proud!!! :sneaky: :smile2: :mad2: :hurray: :party:

I am so excited for you! I can not wait to get there!! The only thing that I can see/feel now is the fact that one pair of jeans that I hadn't been able to get into for months are now fitting again. I'm up to two pairs of jeans now!!!! :sneaky::thumbup: (I was getting so sick of wearing/washing all the time) but I had refused to buy any more obese jeans!!! I've got clothes hanging in there now that range from a size 26 down to a 16 that I was into 6 years ago. (We did atkins for a year+) Again, congratulations!!! :smile2:

Time to show off my hubby. Hubby aka Mr. Skeeterbait8. He got lucky and went before me to have his surgery. 3 weeks to the day later I went in. These photos were taken to show how well he is doing. LUCKY DOG! :thumbup: For being only 3 weeks out I'm really proud of him.

OH LORD do I miss mine! I'm 4 weeks off of them yesterday!!!! I still say that the Pepsi stock had to have fallen now that I'm not supporting the company single handed. Greythope, a 6 pack a day would only get me started, unless it was the 20 oz. bottles!!!!!! I'll admit that it is the taste that I miss so much, that crisp feeling in the mouth. I've been thinking. ANY die hard POP drinker knows that it is the feeling in the mouth that a good fresh soda gives is what we miss the most. And if you think about it the actuall drinking/swallowing isn't where the pleasure was, it was the sensation in the mouth. I wonder if I would get as much pleasure if I took a big gulp and just held it in my mouth to get that "bite", then spit it out? I've thought about trying it. I honestly have, but I'm scared that I'd mess up and swallow and then find out first hand about the PAIN. I don't like pain. Has anyone else thought about doing that? Or am I the only fool here that misses it that much????

Take a deep breath and breath slow. It will be alright. It's normal to feel exactly what your feeling. But for the most part it's easy. My hubby and myself have had the surgery within the last 2 months. Now I'm not going to lie to you and say that there isn't going to be pain, there is. But it's not anything that the pain meds that they give you can't handle. And you will be surprised how quickly the day will come (a week or a little over) that you won't even need any real strong pain meds. I'm sorry about your fiance leaving. I know that had to hurt, but think of it this way. WHEN you get down to where you're one super HOTTIE and he sees you........ just smile and keep on walking AWAY! Let him eat his heart out for what he walked away from. I'm glad that you do have your family for support. The only problem I'm having is right now I'm just a few days shy of my first adjustment/fill. I'm frustrated that I'm not loosing more/any than what I am, but from what I'm reading this is normal. I'll loose this blubber. Just on the bands time frame, not mine.

I pity the poor fool that says that to me. I'd go off on them in a heartbeat. Easy way out? Easy my foot! This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. AND I've done a lot of things in my 54 years.

I've seen a lot of different abbreviations used for "LB's". For someone that is still trying to figure out what some of them mean it would be nice to have a list to go by to help figure out what they mean! :glare: