travelgirl

Everyone has different experiences with this, for me, there's not much that I can't eat, but lots of things I have to be very very careful with or I can be in big trouble. When I'm stuck, there's nothing I can do except wait it out. Sometimes that means enduring some pain or discomfort from a few minutes to maybe half an hour. Other times, I'll have to go vomit, and this can be painful or it can be a non-event. Sometimes, I'll lean over the toilet, and open my mouth, and out it comes without any effort. Other times it's a lot more difficult. I never know what to expect when I get stuck, it's just something I have to let my body decide what to do about it. I'm a little worried about tomorrow being Thanksgiving, turkey is generally too dry for me, so I might be doing the vegetarian thing tomorrow.... It will depend on if I feel like drowning it in gravy or if it's moist enough. My best advice, though is to SLOW DOWN and take SMALL BITES. My worst problems are caused by eating way too fast, and then I'm beyond full, and there's nowhere for the food to go.... I just bought a one minute hourglass timer, after I swallow, I turn it over, and wait that one minute before I take the next bite. I just got it today, and I've only used it for one meal so far, so we'll see if it helps! I hope this helps you!

Black Friday is the day AFTER Thanksgiving. It's traditionally the day of the year when businesses go from being in the red financially to being in the black. Meaning that it's the first day of the year that they actually are making pure profit. It's a HUGE shopping day, and I prefer to stay the hell out of the stores at all costs....

Hell, no. There is NO deal good enough for me to get out there with those kinds of crowds. I really hate crowds....

Have you called your surgeon's office about your problems?

Yeah, however, here's the difference. You'll never hear a doc saying "Oh, yeah, Christmas is gonna be GOOD this year! Joe Schmo in there has stage 3 cancer. JACKPOT!!!" You'll also never be a fly on the wall in a fire station and hear any of the firemen say, "Geez, I hope that apartment complex up on North 110th catches fire this week, I gotta pay for my kid's braces!" Come on. Vultures they may be, but they don't need to advertise that they're assholes.

This has to be one of the most classy posts I've seen in a while. THIS is why we look up to the "oldies". :hail:

That's SO funny! I have a 95 lb yellow lab, and we used to have a 170 lb rottweiler, so looking at your little cutie, I can't help but think, "OH, LOOK! A DOGGIE TREAT!" LOL!

I do have it already. I just hope that I get the shipping label soon enough to get it shipped today. I have to drive 30 miles to the nearest UPS office, and they have to scan my package before APEX will ship the new one out.

I'm staying on plan today because my bodybugg is busted and I have to wait for the replacement. Without it to keep me on track, I'll have to be extra careful to not stray...

I have to send my bugg back, it's defective. Yesterday and today, it has been showing that my numbers have been astronomically high. This just cannot be. I haven't worked out for one single minute, and yesterday, it showed that I burned almost 5,000 calories, and I never broke a sweat. They did some testing while I was on the phone, and they said that the temperature sensor is defective. SO I have to wait until I get the e-mail from them with the UPS shipping label, and then take it to UPS to ship back. After I do that, they'll ship it same day, second day air. So since it's Tuesday, and their offices are closed on Thursday and Friday, I'm looking at getting my replacement on Monday or Tuesday, depending on how things play out. DAMMIT!

That would be great! Thanks SO much, there are SO many inspiring people here, and most of them just don't know it. Maybe that's because you all had to muck your way through it just like everyone else, and you don't realize that we're watching you, and trying to follow in your footsteps.

I suppose it's possible that the heparin that they used during surgery to prevent clotting hasn't worn off yet, but I don't know the first thing about blood thinners. Most likely, she just had a bloody nose, though.

It's a good thing I'm not at work reading this, because that made me laugh right out loud for real. Babygrl, you KILL me sometimes. I'm so glad your bugg is working again!

Yeah, what she said!!!!!

Sorry to hear that you're going through all this. I hope your migraine lets up so you can sleep soon. I used to get migraines prior to being banded as well. No more! I don't know if you made the connection, but reading your post, it sounds as if maybe sugar triggers your migraines? Avoid that poison at all costs!!! I believe it's what triggered mine.... I am praying that your son stays healthy, and that you get some relief from your headache. I really can't help with the pill swallowing scenario, because that all depends on how tight your band is, and every person is different. I've had little bitty pills get stuck, and have had some larger pills go right on through with no problem, so I have no advice on this. All I can say is try it at your own risk, and understand that if one gets stuck it can be VERY painful, and enduring.... Good luck! ((((((((hugs))))))))))

Hey, Jack.... Don't you know that you ARE one of the bandster elites??? You give some of the most sound advice in the most eloquent (and sometimes DAMN funny) ways. If someone has what you want, do what they did to get it! Duh!

Welcome, Gwenn! This is the best thing I've ever done for myself. I found out during my pre-op tests that I had diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. That was 10 days before surgery. 6 months later, all 3 of these are non-issues for me. WITHOUT meds. My doc is just tickled that I am so motivated to do all this without the aid of medications. Be proud of yourself for making this decision, and know that there is support here for you! Oh, and my pre-op testing consisted of an EKG, an A1C (blood glucose), cholesterol, pregnancy test, and a psych evaluation, which was basically me sitting with a shrink for about an hour talking with her about why I wanted the surgery. These psych evaluations can vary GREATLY, and so can the pre-op testing requirements. The only way to know for sure is to ask the surgeon what the requirements will be. Go to an informational seminar, as well, if it's offered. The place I was banded requires you to go to an informational seminar before a surgeon will even see you for a consult. They just want you to be well informed before you make your decision. Good luck!

Ok, my first coaching session is tomorrow morning. What are these like? Is it all about learning how to use it, and navigate the website, and stuff like that, or what????

I didn't vote in the poll, because EVERY pound is a victory for me. Even when I don't believe my eyes when I get on the scale, and it shows me a lower number than I've seen in a LONG time. My biggest celebration to date, though is when I got into a smaller size pair of pants that I didn't expect to fit me yet. I remember running through the house and actually jumping on the bed screaming at my still sleeping husband, "LOOK!!!! DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M WEARING?????? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT SIZE THESE ARE???????" I was SO excited. At that moment, I couldn't have cared what the scale said.

Deb, STEP AWAY FROM THE CIGARETTE..... I REPEAT STEP AWAY FROM THE CIGARETTE Ok, I'll step off my soap box now. But as an ex-smoker, I know how hard the last month or so has been for you to quit. DON'T GIVE UP!!!! I quit 5 and a half years ago, and now I don't even miss it. AT ALL. Quitting was the hardest thing I've EVER done. But I did it. And you can, too! As far as the eating goes, you screwed up. You know you screwed up. Starting RIGHT NOW, go back to what you know to be the right way. Hang in there, you'll get through this.

Chickie, I'm so sad that you took your pics off your signature... Would you reconsider and put them back up? It makes me believe that I, too, can achieve my dreams...

DO: Talk with her about her weight loss, but ONLY if she wishes to discuss it. There may be times that she's discouraged because she's losing slowly, or not at all, and she won't want to talk much about it then. Offer to help her with the recovery stage, but ONLY do the things that she asks for help with. My DH drove me nuts while I was recovering, he wanted to EVERYTHING for me... Sweet, though... DON'T: Be the food police for her. Make sure she has good post-op diet instructions, make sure she understands them, (the post op diet is crucial for letting the band heal in place) and then let her do her thing. Don't tell anyone about her surgery. Let her be the one to make the decision who does and does not know about her surgery. That's the big ones that I can think of for now. Kudos to you for wanting to support your sister. I hope you and she find the help and support you need here!

I really hate to laugh at a post like this, but I've had some of my "skinny" jeans since the early 90's and until I read this, I didn't even THINK about how out of style they'd be......... LMAO! I started out at a 24/26 and had DRAWERS full of 20 and 22 jeans, and I blew by those sizes so fast I felt the same way....WHY the hell did I bother keeping them at all??? And now, I'm in 18W, and I have drawers full of 16 and 18 (no w) and I'm wondering if they'll be worth wasting my time on... HELL.

Ambyr is Losingjusme's furbaby (dog) that she just lost a couple of weeks ago.

I hope I will feel that way someday, but for now, I feel like a fat chick in tennis shoes slogging my way through everything. I've been on the same damn plateau since May, so I'm getting pissed off at myself for letting my dietary choices slide, and for temporarily becoming sedentary again. BUT, I'm watching my diet again, and getting more exercise again, so I guess I'll keep on chuggin' until I get there!