Tranquility

It's not even Halloween yet, but I've started eating candy. Say whattt??? I've read about this problem here on the boards -It goes down better than real food...and of course -it tastes like...candy. So, here I am up to no good as I was before the band. I try so hard to eat nutritiously, but the old feelings of boredom and unhappiness are still with me. And, it doesn't help my cause any at all when it is difficult for me to tolerate real food. I've been overeating a bit at Nighttime meal times ( always my big meal reward for making it through another day ...I teach high school, God help me). The food doesn't look like it is too much, but when I stop, I realize that I should have stopped several bites before. SO, here I sit every afternoon, watching Everybody Loves Raymond, thinking about how alone I feel and what food will make me happy for dinner. Old habits are hard to break -even after radical surgery! I can't say that I need help in obvious ideas, I'm pretty logical in realizing that eating candy is not good and that overeating is not good. We all know that! :thumbup: So, I guess I'm wondering who else out there is still making the same old bad choices and what can we do to stop??? ps. Ive already tried to focus on the happiness of the possibility of losing weight and feeling better; all the wonderful things to come... My probelm is wanting to live in the moment!!

Why are we not supposed to drink with meals? Is it because the Water will make us too full and we won't get all the food we need? OR Is it because the water washes the food through and we will eat MORE than we need? I ask because my doctor told me to drink with my meals (AND only for a few weeks) because I am dehydrated and cannot tolerate water unless I am eating...I know crazy...just my spams problem... So, which is it?????????? We will eat more, or we will not eat enough.............

Hi california, I love, love, love this question! I am hoping to someday go back into the dating world... It is ironic that my band incisions are all about 3inches from my gall bladder removal surgery incisions. Absolutely no one would know the difference in the surgeries! (Well, unless maybe he is a doctor...lol) Anyway, the hernia repair surgery is very close too, so either would be a good choice. You are young -enjoy every moment. And remember, 99% of women's bodies are not perfect. When I was your age-and dating-I already had strecth marks from previous childbirth. Believe me, I cared much more than my boyfriends did. I hope you have a wonderful time dating!!

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for the nice post and yes- very helpful. I love your ideas for making allowable foods sound so appealing, and I'm going to try to do the same! I go to the grocery store today and now I have a great start to my list. :wink: And I believe Linda mentioned nutritious foods like olives and nuts, and some from you others too! These are the kinds of foods that I associate with becoming healthier. I am afraid of foods like lettuce and nuts, but will give them a try. I hope to avoid slider foods, but it’s hard for me. Everyday is a new challenge! Thanks for the encouragement and good luck to you all, too.

Hi friends, same here...I've lost about 30ish pounds. My weight's fluctuated up a few and then down a few, but no real progress in the last few weeks. I'm wearing the same clothes (same size) but the clothes definitely fit differently. I've lost the most in the top area :thumbup: And, since my 3x clothes were too tight before, it is good that they are hanging on me now! Can't wait to actually NEED to buy new clothes!! ps. Have you all noticed that our clothes get longer as we lose?? My Big Mama peasant tops come way down my legs now, and last year's work pants almost drag the ground!! It kind of makes me not want to move on to the smaller size now that my body doesn't look like it is holding its breath about to POP!

I hate it when people tell me this...but you will have to ask your doctor. Mine has given me 4 prescription medications and the only one that worked made me jittery and agitated, so I had to discontinue it. good luck

Hi, Bashful. First of all, you must be an angel sent by God to help this family!! I’ve read the responses here, and think they are ALL wonderful suggestions. I’ve been racking my brain trying to decide if anything might have been left out. I’m a high school English language arts teacher/reading coach, and one thing I do know is that the family has a great influence upon the child, and as the mother is illiterate, his problem could stem from lack of expose to literature –as well as a possible learning/emotional disability. Didn’t you once mention that his mother was impulsive and has a disregard for the nutritional value of the foods she eats? (Hey! Just because I know not to eat Twinkies, doesn’t mean that I didn’t eat them!) Another idea is that sounding out words will not entirely help reading comprehension. It is what we call calling the words, but not making meaning of the sentences. This is what I’d do if he were my child: Consider all of the other posts- they are spot on! Take him to a pediatrician for a complete physical exam. Call the school and make arrangements with a certified diagnostician, not school counselor, for testing. If he attends a good school (meaning heavily funded), I would request remedial classes, but if the school is over-crowded, please know that there is just so much that teachers can do for a child this far behind, sorry. Like I said, if he were my child, I might consider taking him to a private tutor. However, if the family, like me, has a limited income, that will cost quite a lot. So, at this point, I would have him placed in the school’s reading recovery program and do as you are-work with him one-on-one every single day. Begin with basic reading and check his comprehension frequently. (You are going to be a great mom someday. J) oh yes -spelling- great idea, the repetition is a good thing for him. Also,you might try flash cards. One more idea is that he might be a kinesthetic learner, which means that motion is helpful. What I did when I taught the lower grades was put shaving cream on the students' desks and have them 'finger paint' trace the spelling words. They enjoy this activity. Another idea is to use colored sidewalk chalk -(outside on the sidewalk : ))<<<my double chin smile

Hi. I hope that my experiences can spare you some time in research and worry. What you are describing is very much like, well just like, what I’ve got going on. I have a hard squeezing feeling under my Adams apple. It is very uncomfortable –miserable I’d say, not painful, but ever constant. Torture. At first, I thought that my band was not in place, so I called and requested testing. My surgeon finally sent me to the hospital for x-rays and a barium swallow test- no, they are not routine as part of the surgery. (My doctor’s office prefers to guess about these things- I do not.) I'm being sour and cranky here and freely admit it – unrelenting discomfort and anxiety does this to me. They found that my esophagus was in spasms. In the barium swallow test, I could see the barium just sit in my throat for a long while until it decided to go down. When I went over for the test results my doctor said that all was fine and that this is typical for having a large hiatal hernia repaired. I told her that it was not fine with me and that all day long all I could think about was that I felt like someone was choking me. She said it would go away in two weeks and gave me two medications at my request. I took the medications and called within one week because the symptoms had not subsided. The doctor told me that she would not give me anything else for one more week because it would take time and that the next medication would make me sleepy. Now, three weeks later and 7 weeks of misery, I still have the problems. I go in to see her tomorrow. One note, I have no fill, they took out what they put in during surgery at week two. I can eat most anything that I want, but need to eat slowly and small amounts. And now, my second biggest worry is that I’ve gotten into the habit of eating too many sauces, creams and gravy in order to make food go down –at all. I still have the throat problem. It is dysphagia- esophageal spasms. I’m not happy, but I do hope very much that yours will go away very soon! Hope this helps, and let me know… ps. Stay away from cold foods as these can exacerbate the problem.

Oh gosh! let me know what the doc says....

Last night, I tossed and turned -my back is killing me and wakes me up. So, I tried sleeping on my left side. It hurt like heck, but I tried to not give up. The upper part of my stomach, where all of the incisions and port are felt like.. my guts were pushing the port. it hurt terribly. My back is hurting so badly from sleeping on my back for 5 weeks. Do you know if is possible to make the band or port come out of place from side sleeping? fyi... I am still hurting with a burning pain at all of my incision sites. I've taken a half dose of hydrocone, but still hurt. I would really like to hear from someone who has experience with this kind of problem -side sleeping -burning pain all day...

I am so happy for you! Not only have you lost lots of weight, but to get rid of the 'stomach butt' is wonderful. I know when you are completey recovered from your surgery, you will be prancing around in a swim suit...good for you ! and good motivation for us! ps. telll us all about it...how much money ?? did insurance cover any? how long did you have to be at, or near your goal weight to qualify? Who was your doc? Did you hurt a lot??

I am 2 weeks out and so tired sleeping on my back, it is sometimes sore in the morning. I usually sleep back, side, back, other side, etc. (toss and turn) Last night, I went to bed on my back and woke myself up this morning when I turned onto my side. I woke up feeling like my innards were on fire, like all that 'stuff' in there was being pushed to the side. Did I damage something? Do you sleep on your side? Is it OK to sleep on your side? Is it too soon to sleep on my side???

Jennifer, your friend must be out of her mind! Seriously, I agree with one of the other posters that the psych eval is sometimes a joke -I was sent to their 'preferred doc' and she practically guided me in making the 'correct' responses. I think she would be best off to immediatly begin psychological counseling, but I doubt if she would take that advice either and that is sad. I'm eating 'regular' foods now and am nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs everytime I eat a new food. I ate watermelon the other day and was so scared that it was too stringy that I gave up even though I've been craving whole fruits. And a shout out to Restless, who does not pat me on the head, but rather gives me a good NCIS thump :glare:when I go crazy and mess up. Advise your friend to go for therapy and then wash your hands of the whole matter.

I've had the same problem for 5 weeks now. I had a barium swallow test and discover that I'm having esophageal spasms. am taking medine for it, past two weeks, but still having them. Did you have a barium swallow test? Do you know whether or not you are also having esophageal spasms? hope you get better soon, it is miserable to always be aware of the band...

sorry to hear that you are having a hard time with the fill. how many cc's do you have in your band now?

UPDATE: I tried all the modifications for side sleeping and nothing works well for me. I definitely cannot sleep on my right side as that is where the port was placed. Last night, I tossed and turned -my back is killing me and wakes me up. So, I tried sleeping on my left side. It hurt like heck, but I tried to not give up. The upper part of my stomach, where all of the incisions and port are felt like.. my guts were pushing the port. it hurt terribly. My back is hurting so badly from sleeping on my back for 5 weeks. Do you know if is possible to make the band or port come out of place from side sleeping?

How long have you been banded? Can you eat pancakes with no problem? I'd love to have some!

It's funny how our perspective changes. At work, we had a potato bar lunch and the food that I wanted most was the salad with fresh tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, croutons, cheese, bacon bits, and ranch dressing. Before my band, I would have been insulted by the mere presence of cold, raw vegetables! :thumbup: of course, I'd die for one slice of pizza:blush:and the craziest thing is that I'd LOVE to chug two glasses of cold water.

Hey, that is almost exactly my question: How can I get that much protein when eating only 1/2 cup per meal 3 times a day...BUT without a proteing drink or powder? I can't bear the smell or taste.

Yes, I do. I'm also a teacher and we returned to work this week. I'm not accustomed to sitting without getting up and stretching when I want to. Today I was in and out of inservice meetings and found it really difficult to 'look like' I was paying attention when all I could think about was that my back and shoulder were killing me! (It has been more the back for me.) My incisions were also hurting and I found myself hugging my belly without thinking. It was embarrassing when I looked at the person I was speaking to, and they were following my hand to my stomach with their eyes. By the end of the day, I was wishing for the hydrocodone! I have no advice though : ( sorry.:biggrin: Good Luck with the new school year! (I'm five weeks post op)

Thanks so much Emmylou, I don't see any relationship that triigers the spasms, they pretty much stay there always. I am glad for you that yours went away and am hoping that mine will too. Strange, but today I took a xanaX hoping that it might relax my e, and it did somewhat,,,don't want to take them much though... have ta work you know... ANyone else with the problem??

I had a h hernia repaired and since then I've had esophageal spasms. My doc gave me a medicine, but it does no good. I'd love to hear from you all to know if this is unusual or frequently the case.

I had a hernia repaired too. I believe this is why I've had such a difficult time healing. What about your esophagus? Do you have spasms?

I have BCBS of Texas. It took about 8 days for approval.

So glad to hear you are okay, I was worried about you! And, yes, get the junk food OUT of the house!...maybe if Dalena's son has to walk to the market to get his chips, he will think twice about what is on the table!!! I know it is hard to enforce a rule that you really deep down would like to not partipate in. Yikes! I want junk too :sad: Be firm! love ya