singingintherain

greater than ourselves..it constitutes a source of help in areas where we fail. There is plenty of initiative that we have to take. A person in 12 step SHARES their experience, STRENGTH and hope with others to aid them in getting strong themselves. One relies where one is weak in order to become strong. It is not blindly following and giving up one's personality and living under food nazis or food police. There are extreme 12 step groups which have a very strict guideline which is not for all..some need that, but not all do..there are many avenues and branches of 12 step. Please explore if you are interested, and find the group that is right for you. I would recommend going to the OA website and the local library and securing some of the basic literature. 12 step teaches self control and also personal responsibility, yet with a mutual reliance , going hand in hand helping and receiving help. No way is it a 'palming off '. I think reading the basic literature of OA will give you more of a positive understanding of the average 12 step recovery program.

In 12 step we refer to "A Power Greater Than Ourselves", or a HP Higher Power. Some name this as God, god, a group,a religion, a particular spiritual path, a piece of literature,a person/mentor...whatever or whomever you believe to be greater than yourself and can help in overcoming the addiction, habit,behavior.It is an individual choice and some of the choices of HP can seem unusual,but genuine to the person who chooses.

That happened to me..I felt great,lost fat most likely, but gained muscle which showed up on the scale.

The second link I posted in blue will take you to the page. The entire site is huge and you may find other focus groups also. Here they are: WLS opening page WLS - Weight Loss Surgery if you have trouble with the site, please email me since I do not want to take the focus away from the Brig/Faulkner threads. You will find a warm welcome.

For all my fellow Brigh/Faulkner fellow bandsters: if anyone was in OA or any other 12 step program before being Banded and wants to continue dealing with compulsive eating behavior through 12 step work after their Banding, there is a newly-formed special focus online meeting for anyone who wants to attend: Thursdays 9 am Sundays 5 pm JavaChat There is also a recovery listserve group for WLS and OA at the site WLS - Weight Loss Surgery Many like me who were in 12 step for compulsive eating were not accepted after banding and told we chose the 'easy way out'. (Easy? Little did they know!) However, there is now the possibility to continue in 12 step and find acceptance as well. This is NOT to detract from attendance at the monthly Brigh/Falkner meetings which are helpful to so many of us, but as an offer of additional strength and hope for Bandsters who desire to deal with compulsive eating by working the 12 Steps with those who understand living with the Band and other WLS. The group is small, but you will find a warm welcome. I found out about it through another thread here and was thrilled to find that there was a special focus group starting with the Band in mind. Perhaps I will see you there!

Perhaps you can try and call one of the docs and ask to have a liquid prescription delivered to a pharm and then delivered to you. ...or even liquid caps and squeeze the liquid in some juice or something.You should not have to go through this.

What an awful experience, notateech! I think, IMO, that it is up to the Band docs to inform the different teams performing various procedures about the band and what is acceptable for Bandsters. Sounds like poor communication between staff. I would definitely inform Dr. R about it and perhaps he will pass the word to the Bariatric staff and on, so as to save those of us who have to have other procedures as well as yourself in the future. I think it is just a lack of communication and informing the rest of the hospital about care of the LB recipient.. Not the patients' job IMO. Going for a fill at the end of Aug after his vacation. Wish me luck and a way to get 'unstuck'.(from being unable to move on the scale!)

Posts or talk about BM issues don;t gross me out . Dieters have a problem with this. I have ALL MY LIFE until a few months ago. . However, after many years I have found a remedy! Bifidus Regularis..the bacteria in Activia actually works,. Gal, go get yourself an 8 pack of this yogurt, have it for breakfast or snack every day and you will be as regular as clock work. No cramps, no wondering if it will work. Give yourself a treat and get some of it..it will have you right as rain by the end of a week and you will love the stuff. I have it every day. No more cardboard fiber, laxatives, etc. Give it a try. It works! Now some people will say that it is the same stuff that is in regular yogurt and it is just marketing.. NOT SO. I ate yogurt for years and this works differently on me..even after stopping it and eating other brands as a trial for a while. The bacteria is different. I don;t care what the nutritionists say. It works for me.

Exercise! I need it to work with my band. Presently I am getting prepared to move more now the nice weather is here..I ordered a pedometer due to arrive tomorrow and am planning on incorporating a 10,000 steps a day challenge into this sedentary life. Running, etc is not my thing..I do treadmills and that is about it. But I am thinking of just everyday life..doing more stairs, parking the car a bit farther away..just a bit more everyday footwork and wearing my pedometer to see if I can get in 10,000 steps, building from the little bit I am presently doing. There are several 10,000 step sites on the internet, but a friend told me about it and I thought it was a great idea. I wouldn;t necessarily have to find or pay for a special venue to work out, but just incorporate it into my everyday life.Perhaps it will work along with my band and trim me down a bit more. Here is a bit about it: http://www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html Any Boston people care to join me in this 'challenge' of sorts?

I thought it was in my head! How are you doing now since your unfill last week?

Does any one else feel as if their band gets tighter when they are mentally stressed out about something? I usually get this tightness with the first meal of the day and everything is fine after that. But if a stressful situation occurs, that tightness remains all day, sometimes for a few.

Glad to hear you made it ! No, not a bad procedure at all.