green

My husband still has a full head of hair so maybe I shouldn't be say this but bald men are more virile. This is true. They have more male hormones and it is those hormones which cause a man to lose his hair. Those baldies can really perform! lol

It is true that Green is blonde!

Yep, I understand. If you have to point out your weight loss to her it is like you haven't lost an ounce and that is real depressing. She is obviously one of those very self-absorbed individuals.

Yah, I was totally pleased. Oh, I said, do you really think I'm losing weight too fast? Why do you say that? I must have made him repeat it about 3x. Of course I still haven't got my act together to buy a scale or a measuring tape so all I can go on are the NSVs, eh. I am now officially allowed mushies so I bought some hummus in a can. I'm gonna make myself scrambled eggs with cheddar and salsa. First time I've cooked since I've been banded. Now that's gonna be weird!

Well the lunch sounds disappointing for you. You noticed what she had done and commented and she paid no attention to you. Bummer! Is she always like this?

Does the TLBC like its patients to keep in touch? Someone phoned me the day after the op to make sure that I wasn't bleeding to death or whatever and I was given a sheet with 3 fill appts on it and that has been it. And for my first fill appt they want me to come 2 hours early! Does anyone know what that is all about? Just asking....

My NSV happened shortly after I read about Woodys's and Choe's. My husband told me he thought I was losing weight too fast! Hah! This means that he sees weight loss and that's a good thing.

Congratulations, Cloe! That is a wonderful story. I am glad that your winter coat is now too big. I think that the NSVs drive home the fact of weight loss more than the scale victories for we are then experiencing weight loss in our daily lives, not just as numbers. And congratulations to you, Woodys. That is a huge NSV! You are incognito now.

Hello Waterlily, I, too, am a depressive or a bi-polar depending on which one of my zookeepers you speak to. Depression runs in my family and both myself and my eldest niece seem to have an extra generous helping of it. I have been seeing people for this since I was a teenager, and have been on various types of medication without a break since I was 34. I am 57 now and have been off work for 3 and a half years with a major depression. I am only now starting to feel better but I was in the same space as you are in for a very long time. My advice to you is this. First of all you must understand that you are very ill and that it is not your fault. You have faulty brain chemistry and are not a bad person. Keep remembering not to blame yourself when you and your house get dirty. This is a result of your illness. Second, on a day when you are feeling stronger than usual phone the folks that run your course and explain that you must drop out at this time for medical reasons. I myself had to drop out of a jewellery making course while I was in your condition. Third, and this is most important, you must get medical help. You need to be on medication and it is possible that it will take time before they find the right combination of meds for you. I have seen two psychiatrists on a regular basis in addition to being assessed 4 times. I have tried a lot of different drugs including some that made me feel worse. The place for you to start is with a good family doc since it is he or she who will be referring you to specialists and he or she who will have your back if your specialist behaves like an a**hole. And, if you don't have good medical coverage, your GP can work with you in lieu of a shrink to find the right drug combo. (Mine is celexa, wellbutrin, risperdone and topamax.) Another thing that you must do is explain the situation to your mate. He sounds from your post like a good and understanding man, by the way. Tell him that you are very ill, that you can't take care of yourself or the house and that he will have to be very patient with you and do a lot of helping out. Your depression is very serious. I feel for you. I've worn this t-shirt.

Hello Waterlily, I, too, am a depressive or a bi-polar depending on which one of my zookeepers you speak to. Depression runs in my family and both myself and my eldest niece seem to have an extra generous helping of it. I have been seeing people for this since I was a teenager, and have been on various types of medication without a break since I was 34. I am 57 now and have been off work for 3 and a half years with a major depression. I am only now starting to feel better but I was in the same space as you are in for a very long time. My advice to you is this. First of all you must understand that you are very ill and that it is not your fault. You have faulty brain chemistry and are not a bad person. Keep remembering not to blame yourself when you and your house get dirty. This is a result of your illness. Second, on a day when you are feeling stronger than usual phone the folks that run your course and explain that you must drop out at this time for medical reasons. I myself had to drop out of a jewellery making course while I was in your condition. Third, and this is most important, you must get medical help. You need to be on medication and it is possible that it will take time before they find the right combination of meds for you. I have seen two psychiatrists on a regular basis in addition to being assessed 4 times. I have tried a lot of different drugs including some that made me feel worse. The place for you to start is with a good family doc since it is he or she who will be referring you to specialists and he or she who will have your back if your specialist behaves like an a**hole. And, if you don't have good medical coverage, your GP can work with you in lieu of a shrink to find the right drug combo. (Mine is celexa, wellbutrin, risperdone and topamax.) Another thing that you must do is explain the situation to your mate. He sounds from your post like a good and understanding man, by the way. Tell him that you are very ill, that you can't take care of yourself or the house and that he will have to be very patient with you and do a lot of helping out. Your depression is very serious. I feel for you. I've worn this t-shirt.

I dunno about those Canuck Lapbanders. The website is so user-unfriendly, eh....

I drank a lot of apple juice (which I don't like because it is too sweet) and broth that first week. I bought a box of beef broth and one of chicken broth. I never did finish the box of chicken broth and now it is sitting in my fridge. I guess I should pour it down the sink and throw the box out, eh. lol You will get through this, kiddo. I believe that these rules are designed to help your stomach out. Remember, it's just gone through surgery! Ya gotta take it easy. (This is difficult. I am feeling so good that I am sneeaking mushies into my soup zone.) Try to be a very good patient for that first week.

I build aircraft but as of today I am retired. I accepted the option for an early retirement package. I also paint and I like to write. I occasionally sell paintings and maybe I will find a way to cash in on my writing skills. Who knows? As of today I am disconnected from the workforce. Weird.

Congratulations. October is a nice month to get married in because it is not too hot nor too cold. It is also a great month to travel in for the same reason. This means that over the years you'll be able to take many great trips and celebrate your anniversaries at the same time.

Are any of them interested in undergoing the surgery? Yesterday I started talking to another plus size woman whom I met while hanging out in the plus size section of Hudson's Bay. I found myself telling her all about my band, that I had it installed two and half weeks ago, yadda, yadda. She said that she was diabetic due to her weight and was on a long waiting list in Nova Scotia which is where she lives for bariatric surgery, and that it will be paid for by the province. We yapped for quite awhile. I told her about this site. I also said that the lapband seems to be the way to go. I also told her that the only guy in Nova Scotia who does it will only service his own patients!

I tend to be a cow when it comes to telemarketers. I don't like strangers asking me how I am before they identify themselves and tell me what their business is. About a week after the op I found myself becoming very cranky. Tormenting telemarketers became an acceptable outlet for a change. It meant that my poor suffering husband was off the hook. Green's approach to telemarketer: "Good day and how are you?" "What do you want?" or "What do you want to sell me?" As you can see, I am not very friendly and I cut to the chase. The ones I hate the most are the ones who tell me that I have won a prize but that I have to go to some place in the suburbs, and listen to a sales pitch for time-shares before I can collect it. The people who phone to tell me about this prize are usually South Asian as it happens. If I am in the mood I try to educate them on the meaning of the word prize in English. I say, "a prize. Oh goody! Send it to me." "No, you have to pick it up." "Well, if it is mine then why can't you send it to me?" Then they explain that I have to pick it up and I say that it isn't a prize if they won't send it to me. They assure me it is and I tell them in that case they can send it to me. Sometimes these conversations can last quite awhile. I don't know where they get my name from but this sh*t always irritates me. If there is strings attached to a prize then it is not a prize, it is work and payment for work.

No, I was lucky. I didn't have a hernia. I was just tired and pleasantly drugged up. I also think that our wild taxi ride, my husband had drunk too much beer while waiting for me to get through surgery, didn't help. It opened up at least one of the wounds and I was dripping blood all over by the time I got home. This may have been a set-back.... But I sure did enjoy my few days in la-la land.

Wow! I am so impressed that you were up and shopping the day after your surgery. I spent the next two days after mine in bed sleeping and reading and eating demerol and Gas-X. As for shopping in Toronto, there are always people shopping, morning, noon and night/evening. It seems to be a thing that we do. Yesterday I went for a really long walk after seeing my psychiatrist. I punctuated this with visits to Winner's, Book City and Hudson's Bay. I like going to Book City. I can always find a cheap book that fits me like a glove and doesn't make me look too fat!

Just say no. Explain that the appartment is small and not really made for 3 people let alone 4 given that there is only one bathroom, kitchen, TV, etc. Explain that because you work you really need your downtime and that you agreed to let him stay because you like him and you realised that he was stuck. Tell him that 4 people is simply too much. This way you are neutralizing the personalities issue. You could also explain that you are suffering from guest burn-out a little bit because you have already had a guest but you made an exception for him because you like him. This will flatter him but will make him understand that being someone's guest is a priviledge.

Thanks for your honest answer. It is as I suspected. I know a man in his forties who was recently fooled by a woman who told him that he had given her her first orgasm ever. The woman was very experienced but the guy promptly fell in love. As for the woman, she dallied with him for a few months and then moved back to her husband.

Yah, I tried to get into Canadian Lapbanders and...fuggedaboudit! I got into a computer loop.

Yah! What is it about the gut, anyway? Mine is as ugly as it ever was. Well, maybe a tiny bit smaller....

Thanx for the warning, Cloe. I had been feeling no sense of restriction until I went out with a girlfriend on Saturday. I ordered a plate of braised tofu in Chinatown - it's as liquid as yogurt - and had a few bites of rice. After I left the restaurant I felt a bit weird for a few minutes. I found myself explaining to my girlfriend about productive burps. She looked scared. LOL Actually I was a little freaked out myself. I've got a phobia about anything coming up the same way it went down.

I am eating soup out of a mug and am now buying those tiny cans of fancy flavoured flaked tuna. I eat those right out of the can. I know that I am kinda cheating since I am not supposed to graduate to mushies until this Thursday but I am being very careful with the chew, chew, chewing. Other than that I am eating (mostly) those small portions of yogurt right out of the little cups they come in. I haven't used a plate since pre-op. lol My washing up consists of loads of tiny forks and spoons and masses of cups and glasses. Okay by me. Our dishwasher died. Now I'm it.:heh:

The two people who see the most of me both say that I look thinner, especially in the face. (What I want most is to see that damn gut disappear....) I am healing really fast from the surgery and am feeling very positive, a miracle considering that I am a genius at being depressed!