justduckie

Marz, that's funny! I saw a guy I used to work with at the post office the other day. We were catching up on old news when he stopped and looked at me.....really looked at me! And says, "geez, Marci, you look great! I mean, really great! What have you done to yourself?" He couldn't figure out that I had lost weight. When I told him how much weight I had lost, he could stop telling me how great I looked and how great it was that I had lost that much weight. I told my DH about it and he told me, yes! You look like you've lost tons of weight....quit doubting yourself! Enjoy the compliments." That's been the hardest part. People compliment me on my loss, but I always tell them how much more I have to lose. Maybe I need to quit doing that.

Hey everyone! Drews, tell your MIL congrats! Myra, hope everything is going good with your band.....it sounds scary........ This last week was a bad week for me. Lots of problems at work that caused me to stress eat. AND drink more diet coke than I've been allowing myself. I'm on my 7 off (12 hr schedules give you LOTS of time off. :clap2: ) and I'm hoping to get back on track. I didn't lose anything this week, but at least I didn't gain. 3rd fill next week. I'm hoping it will get me thru Thanksgiving with a loss instead of a gain. That would be a great thing! I need to do pictures for the 6 month anniversary. I lost the camera for a bit, my DH found it in his toolbox. :) So all I need to do is charge the battery. I went to a Christmas party last weekend and I had ordered size 18 pants and top from Cold Water Creek. The top fit perfect but as we were dancing, my pants kept trying to fall off!:faint: By the time we quit dance, we were both laughing so hard I almost fell down. I think those pants are destined for the give away pile. I have another Christmas party to go to on Dec. 2. I think I will do a bit of shopping while we are in Atlanta visiting my oldest over Thanksgiving and see if I can find some pants that fit and won't fall off when we are boogying around the floor. I guess it's really quit the NSV that I can actually DANCE with out feeling like dying. Of course, trying to keep your pants up so your co-workers don't see your butt was a pretty good NSV too!

Once I decided to do it, I just told them when I wanted the surgery done, that's when they scheduled it.

I think there is a misconception from drs. that do lapband and RNY surgeries that the precautions are the same. With the band, the liquid goes right thru the band into your stomach, so why would the carbonation do anything to your band? Unless you drink it right after eating and you aren't suppose to do that anyway with ANY liquid. Think about it......why would any liquid, carbonated or not, do anything? You still have your complete stomach. The carbonation doesn't stay in your pouch. That said, I was terrified of drinking diet coke.......thought I would bloat up and explode with one sip.....then I watched my DH get hit on his motorcycle. He wasn't hurt but it stressed me out so bad that I reverted to my old standby for stress, a big diet coke. I walked up to a fountain, got the biggest cup, filled it with ice and pop and sat down and drank the whole thing. No problems....no gas, no bloat, no pain. After that I have a diet coke about once every 2-3 days. I try not to go overboard with it or live off it like I did before my surgery, but it hasn't caused me any problems since I started drinking it again.

Drewslou, I'm so glad surgery went well! Now you get to know the joy of restriction. I had a strange NSV today......I went to go buy some dress shoes, we have a party to go to tomorrow and I need shoes. So I go to the size 9's, too big. I've worn size 9 for forever. Then I went to the 8 1/5's. Too Big!!!! So I went to the 8's.....well, still almost too big but ok. And I found some HEELS! And not just 2 inch heels, but FIVE inch heels. Wohoo! And I could actually walk around in them and not have my feet feel like they were trying to explode because of all the weight pushing down. Has anyone else noticed their feet shrinking? Strange.........

I've lost almost 60 lbs and I just made it into a smaller size. I'm beginning to think that I was wearing my clothes WAAAYYYYY too tight when I was at my highest. I was wearing 20 pants and 22 shirts. Now I can wear 18 pants -- comfortably -- and 16 shirts (and the buttons don't gap!). Yep....I lose it in my chest first! Oh, joy........

I can not.....absolutely CAN NOT drink while eating. I instantly PB. And sometimes I want to drink so bad!!!!! I have even wanted to drink so bad that I get a mouth full and spit it out. Sad, huh? But, Bobby, if you keep yourself accountable and keep working at it, you'll succeed. I know you will!

I go for my 3rd fill on 11/13. I can still eat too much, but I really have to watch what I eat. No bread, no breading, nothing with flour. I'm still losing.....slowly. Another lb. this week. My biggest problem right now is I think I got myself into something over my head. I signed up for a half-marathon on Thanksgiving Day. I've been walking..... a lot.....but I haven't walked nearly as far as 13.1 miles yet and my hips have started to really hurt. Do I still try? Do I bow out? Do I admit that I am scared silly by the thought of trying to walk that far with THOUSANDS of other people.....people who are ready for this, train for this and LOOK like they can do this????? I still have about 4 weeks to decide......I just don't know what to do! I'm so proud of my loss so far, so proud that I can do so many things that were unthinkable 6 months ago.....but am I pushing too hard? Anyway, everyone keep up the good work!

Marz-- I walk and when I get time, I do light weights. At PT today, the therapist had me doing simple stuff.....very light weights or stretchy bands and I thought my right arm was going to fall off! I need to do more because my skin is start to HANG and I hate it. Yes, I'm planning on having plastic surgery when I reach my goal weight, but that's a good year and a half away, so I would like to do SOMETHING so this horrible hanging skin tights up some. But underneath that bagginess, I'm getting down right buff! LOL!!!!!!

Where is everyone?????:paranoid 2 more lbs!!!! I'm off to PT.....to be tortured and pampered. The ultrasound on my shoulder is HEAVEN!:biggrin1: :clap2:

My DH was very supportive after I took him to a wls seminar and we looked at all the stats.....especially after we look at the rny vs. the lapband. My mother was VERY worried and though not negative, definitely wasn't very supportive. She thought it was unnecessary, that I just needed to exercise more and eat less. Even though she has been heavy her whole life and knows it's not as simple as that. My dad, on the other hand, was all for it! It was and still is, very excited for me. My children were worried, but they like the progress they see and are very supportive. My older sister was very supportive and thinks I made the right and smart decision, going with the band instead of the rny. She is a nurse and sees a lot of the complications with rny. My younger sister, who needs to lose more than I do, is.......well, distant. I think she thinks that I took the easy way out and comes up with tons of excuses why she can't lose weight, won't lose weight, refuses to look into the options.......I hope she realizes that it can be life changing and very much worth the hassles. My friends and co-workers are all excited for me....even if my partner supervisor at work is the "food nazi". He's always saying, "can you eat that? Should you eat that? Why are you eating that!!!!!" Sometimes I wish I had never told him!

I just finished my four dayshifts and I'm exhausted. But I wanted to share before I go to bed....... THREE more lbs....GONE!!!!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :biggrin1: Finally under 220 since.......well, I don't really remember. I'm thinking at least 15 years.....my youngest turns 15 on Monday and I know I weighed more than that when he was born. :tired Well, off to bed!

I went to the dr. today and she said my shoulder is inflamed. And since I can't take NSAIDS, she gave me a cortisone shot to take down the swelling. Well, they get out the needle......it's about the same size as my fill needle, get set up and tell me to relax my arm. Hmmmm....ok........ Then they swab the back of my shoulder, spray some freezing spray on the spot so I don't feel the poke (wish they would do that when I get a fill!), tell me I'm going to feel, "a bit of pressure" and..... omg, omg, omg, omg .....oh my GOD!!!!! Did it HURT!!!!!!!! The needle went right into the joint and must of put the liquid right where it is swollen the most because I haven't felt that much pain in ages. Now though, it doesn't hurt as much....just aches. I have some liquid Advil (childrens, I'm going to have to drink half the bottle) so I can sleep thru the aching tonight. Then hopefully it will start to get better. I have to go to PT for a while, but the dr. doesn't think it's too bad. My x-rays looked good and I have very little arthritis and no bone spurs. So that's good. The dr. says it's a vicious circle....you hurt your rotator cuff, it swells, it pushes against the bone because of the swelling, that irritates it more, it swells more......and on and on and on. And since I can't take anti-inflamatories, I wasn't able to control the swelling. So hopefully this shot will do the trick. Anyway, I go back to see her in a month. OUS -- One hundred pounds??!!!! Wow! Congratulations!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: DREWS -- At least you know what the problem is now. Will the recovery be very long after your surgery? I hope that the problem gets fixed. MYRA -- I'm glad to hear your new medicine is working well. Now, your teeth...... LapBANDIT -- Your G-son must be the same age as my youngest. He played 9th grade football this year until he tried to cut off his thumb. The dr. said no more football till the stitches come out and of course the season will be over by then. My whole family LOVES football. That's why my youngest's name is Payton.....after Walter Payton and the BEARS!!!! Da Bears.......go Bears!:biggrin1: :biggrin1: :biggrin1:

Marcy -- you've probably already left, but have fun! Wish I could have sent 20 bucks with you to put in a machine for me. Well, 2 more lbs this week. I'll take it! :clap2: I just wish my body would quit hurting. All my joints are just screaming with my shoulder being the loudest. I really think my fat was holding everything tight and now that it's disappearing, my joints are falling apart. The weather is changing but I don't think my body has ever responded this way. It's sad......I finally start feeling great, doing things I haven't done in years and then I start falling apart.........

Holy Moly Linda!!!! What a difference! You should be proud of yourself. :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

OK -- I called my surgeon and they told me that as long as I'm taking the regular strength and not extra strength, I should be ok till I talk to the ortho doc. They said with the band, it doesn't sit in your pouch too long, unlike bypass. But the person I talked to said to have the ortho doc call them and let them know what type of pain meds they want to put me on. And liquids are best. It will be good just to make the pain stop. Someone mentioned early about going to dense protiens. I've been trying to push the dense protiens and it seems like my loss is starting again. I know I don't eat near as much and I have to eat slow......just what the doctor ordered!!!!!! Now.......I just need to get my Water intake back up.

Drews -- I hope things start looking better for you. Marcy -- Does the dr. think that as you lose weight, your kidney disease will get better? Or is the damage permanent? I'm so sorry to hear about this. I don't know anything about this disease.....is a kidney transplant a possibility? I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Myra -- Your story is very inspirational. We lost our house to fire in 1989. It was the worse day of my life. But, like you, I do believe it made our marraige stronger. I have a question for everyone.....do you take ibuprofen? Ever? I know my book I got from the dr. says no ibuprofen but my shoulder hurts so bad, it's the only thing that even dents the pain. My husband says I have a torn rotator cuff. It's getting so bad that under my shoulder blade is going numb now. It's hard to explain, but it's just a wrong feeling. I'm going to an orthopedic dr. on Monday, but I'll have to tell her no ibuprofen. I'll also get her to call my surgeon to find out what I can take. For some reason, even when I walk for more than 15-20 minutes my shoulder and arm go numb.......so annoying. And the more weight I lose, the worse it gets. Do you think the fat was padding the damaged shoulder?

I took some pictures yesterday and posted them on my Myspace page as a slide show. Check it out! http://www.myspace.com/justduckie5 It shows my pre-op pictures (April 30 -- day before my surgery) and yesterday. My DH says that the pictures don't do me justice, that in real life I move so much different and hold myself different that I look like I've lost more than the pictures show. I don't know if it's just him talking (That's why I love my DH!!!) or if it's true. I know I've had lots of people comment on how much weight I've lost, so who knows. It's raining here today. We need the rain, it's been so dry. I hope everyone has a good day!

Hello Everyone! Welcome Cherg! Turkey Takeoff Checkin..........After my fill last week, I've lost 3 lbs.:clap2: One thing about a fill.......you lose quickly for a while. I've definitely have restriction and believe it or not, I actually feel good about it. I've been reading on some of the other threads about how people slime and vomit all the time, but I think I've vomited 2 times since surgery and it wasn't because of my band but because I was sick. As long as I take my time, chew well and eat good food, then I do ok. Linda -- Skis!!!! Wow....I used to have skis, years ago.....180 Rossignals. We skied all the time, but then I got too fat and my knees hurt too bad. But as my son pointed out, I should be able to join him on his skiing trips this winter. My knees don't hurt anymore and I think I could actually find myself a pair of bibs that actually look good. Paladin -- tell 3loves hello and I hope she is doing well. Janey -- that sucks! I hope you get everything worked out. MarcyD -- Good job! 2 lbs gone is 2 lbs gone forever. Lapbandit -- When do you get to come home? Why do you travel so much? It has to be hard ..... Well, my DH is getting ready to take my picture. I will get it posted soon. Keep up the good work!

I got my second fill yesterday and I must say, it was not as smooth or painfree as the first. First, I had Dr. Parnell doing the fill instead of Dr. Farmilia's assistant, like last time. I get the feeling she hasn't done very many of them. Second, Dr. Farmilia had me standing in front of the flouro machine and Dr. Parnell had me laying down. So to start she asks me what size needle they used last time, so I told her. She has the flouro guy find the port on the machine, she feels for the port and pokes. Ok......just like last time.....but she doesn't hit the port. She wiggles the needle around, still no port. So she pulls out, gets a new needle and tries again. She hit something this time. Yeah! Maybe I'm about done. But no......she missed the port again and hit the side and slipped off. So she tries again......and again......and again! FINALLY....on the 6th try she hit's the port. What a relief! By that time my belly is just aching from all the pokes. The flouro guys were getting concerned, kept telling me that it was about done........patting my shoulder.....telling me to try and relax. What finally got it done was the flouro guy telling me to sit up slightly and Bingo! hit the port in one poke. I'll have to remember that next time. Then of course comes the drinking of horribly chalking crap. But watching it go down on the machine is rather cool. I could definitely see the restriction. She only put in .5 cc's and wants to do another adjustment in 4 weeks. I wish she was as agressive as Dr. Farmilia.....he did 1.5 cc's and it lasted almost 3 months. Oh, well....... Yeah, Drewslou!!!! Hopefully you will get moving again. Lapbandit - I'm glad I'm not alone. You hear so many people talk about having sweet cravings and such, but no one says much about chips. I'm hoping with this fill, I won't be able to eat chips with no consequences. Everyone have a great weekend~ I'm starting nightshifts tonight and it's raining.....not a good thing when you work where I do.......

Today is fill day! I've been bouncing back and forth between 225 and 230 for the last week or so. It depends on what I ate that day and how much water I've drank. More water, less weight. I really need to concentrate on my water more. Last night I had some Tortilla soup. Good soup, bad chips on top. I had one bowl then decided I was still hungry and ate 3 handfuls of chips! WHY???????? Because I wasn't concentrating on my food, just eating mindlessly. So today I'm paying for it in water retention. For some reason I can eat chips. No bread, but chips go down fine. I'm hoping with this fill I won't be tempted anymore. Pain is a good motivator when it comes to not eating certain foods. It worked with bread, now it needs to work with chips as they have always been my biggest downfall and biggest tempting foods. Sweets don't tempt me but chips certainly do! Thank you everyone for the good wishes for my son and new DIL. As for grandbabies......well, I would LOVE to have some, but they seem to think that waiting a bit is a good thing..........sigh............

After putting it off for months, I finally cleaned out my closet. And I mean clean! Just like the show, Clean Sweep, I thru out FIVE garbage bags full of stuff and clothes that I no longer fit into, like, ugly....what ever. I even managed to get rid of some of my husband's stuff that he will never miss. I can actually SEE my floor again! I've gone thru some of my drawers, too. No more "fat" clothes to fall back on. No more "old lady" clothes to hide behind. No where to go but down. In pounds, that is. I needed to do this. Yeah for me!!

Hello Everyone!!!!! My 2nd fill is only 3 days away. I am sooooo ready! I can pretty much eat as much as I want. The only thing I can't eat is bread. And meat I have to chew well. But I can keep on eating if I want. Eat and eat and eat. When I still felt restriction, I couldn't do that. So I know that I need my next fill. But better news! I have a new daughter!!!! My son and his girlfriend got married down at the courthouse today. They will have a formal wedding in June, but thier ceremony today was very touching. They are so cute. Here's the happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler and Sarah Young...... We went out to one of the nicer restaurants for dinner after the wedding and she told me, "now I have to go home and practice writing my new name!" I laughed. I think she's going to find that this short but sweet ceremony a whole lot less stressful than the big do they are planning in June. For a gift today, I gave her a wedding planner. I told her she will be lost without it soon. Anyway, that was my happy day today.

Hey everyone. Just finishing my last check in for the September Challenge and the scale didn't move again. BUT! My next fill is in a week, so I think I will be back on the losing wagon again soon. I'm in for 20 lbs for the Thanksgiving Take off. It would be better to be in Wonderland, but being 205 would be great too. Not only will I be trying to hit that goal but I'm still training for my Half-Marathon on Thanksgiving morning, so really I have TWO goals! I can walk three miles without noticing right now and 4 miles with a little effort. Over the next weeks, I slowly build up to the 13.2. That in itself will be a good accomplishment. I'm at my husband's Grand Lodge function now. Thank goodness for free wireless access at these nicer hotels. I was thinking I would have to go out and buy some new clothes but I happen to dig into the back of my closet and found some shirts and dresses that I haven't worn in years that actually fit. Right now I have a shirt on that I LOVED when I bought it but maybe wore it a couple of times before the gaping buttons made me realize that it was too small. Now the button lay flat and the longer tunic bottom actually goes OVER MY BUTT!!!! Whoohoo! It made my day. Well, I have to run. Some kind of meeting then lunch then off on a tour for just the wives. I brought my digital camera with me so I can take some pictures. Which, BTW.......I've only seen once person post a "Post September Challenge" picture! Come on ladies (and men) get them pictures up! LOL!!!!!

Linda -- he's a Mason. I call it "The Cult" because of all of the bad press they get. But really, a bunch of grown men dressing up and having "secret" ceremonies... ...seems like a cult to me!:heh: