green

Yah, money is money. (But I am curious.)

What an irritating man! I have just come back from posting a snarky reply to him on that thread. Oh, ugh! He makes me think of Ernest Hemmingway, you know, the guy who wrote For Whom the Bell Trolls.

Headhunter, while your story is likely true you have presented it and yourself in a spectacularly imprecise fashion. You mention this bariatric hotshot who has done over 600 surgeries, some of them to repair Lap Band catastrophes, yet you do not mention the percentage of these surgeries which were devoted to Lap Band reversals nor indeed what kinds of problems this surgeon has encountered vis-a-vis the Lap Band. You certainly don't provide your surgeon's name and generally speaking well spoken of individuals like to have their names made available to the general public. You also mention that one can eat around the Lap Band. Well, this is true and is one of the first lessons that bandsters learn. We learn that the band is merely a tool. It gives one the sense of being satiated after having eaten much smaller portions. What one eats is out of the control of one's surgeon; this area of responsibility lies solely with you. And, by the way, all newly banded are advised to follow a liquid diet while recovering from bariatric surgery. This permits the band to "seat" itself amongst other things. Chugging or attempting to chug down chunks of top tenderloin is not recommended by any band surgeon, and most certainly not during the first 5-6 weeks post-op. Your information would be of more interest to us if you were to tell us when you were banded, by whom, whether you honestly did follow band dining rules. And we should know how long it was after you were banded that your problems began. And how did the problem first manifest? What did you do? Whom did you consult? and so on. This would be providing us with a full and a coherent picture. And re your projected teevee publicity campaign and the multi-billion dollar lap band business interests which are currently ranged against you, well, we who live in the affluent west live in Fat City...and all fat fighting techniques, effective or ineffective, are big bucks business.

Great response.

Although I am an atheist I would be curious to see this movie.

The mate thinks I should include a raw egg. Yech! sez I about that.

All the above suggestions sound brilliant. Thanks, everyone.

Oooh, that sounds so decadent! And I love sherbets.

Far out! And most appropriate that the LBT grrl is one of our own. Congratulations from Green. And you look fabulous, grrl!

I can understand the opening poster's frustration. She is a young working woman with a very, very high BMI. Because she is seriously obese she feels that her health issues should be fixed and that this should be covered by her health insurance plan. Because she is supporting herself by working and is also paying into a health plan she feels that she is behaving in a responsible and adult manner and should be able to benefit from this health plan. I agree with her. I paid for my own Lap Band surgery (up here where I live our provincial plan does not cover band surgery) and I was 200 lbs when I arranged to have it done. I am 5'6" and so didn't look all that big compared to some of the other women who were sharing the waiting room with me. This made me feel a little bit embarrassed initially but my weight gain, however, had been a steady post-menopausal gain and I was on a one-way street if I didn't have the surgery. This is a fact that perhaps the opening poster did not understand until she had it explained to her. I think that the other lower BMI folks who have posted on this thread have done a fine job of providing explanations as to why they, too, needed the surgery. I also think that the opening poster has indicated that she understands this and thus it is time to stop flaming her for her initial remarks. It's time to show her the sympathy and support that we all deserve.

Generally speaking I really don't like sweet, fruity drinks which is why when I was first banded I never got into those protein drinks that most of you were into. But with nausea my tastes - which were always for strong, spicy, garlicy, salty, vinegary foods - have changed radically and this grrl actually wants bland and sweet. The first food that I managed to eat a couple of days after the hideous chemo was fruit-flavoured yogurt. I went through 6 little tubs of the stuff in one afternoon. Now the idea of milkshakes and fruit shakes is sounding awful good to me. Up here in Canada the women's magazines have a special insert for cancer patients every April. April is cancer month up here, by the way. The insert has tips for women on how to look good and feel better while fighting cancer. The food info recommends milkshakes made with whole milk and icecream and bananas, etc. In fact the food recommendations are pretty much counter to good band diet rules! Now I did buy a blender (which I never used) when I first got banded so if BJean will PM those milkshake recipes I will get my mate on the case. And Kat, I am gonna ask about those anti-puke patches. They sound verrry interesting. Thanks for the suggestion. And thanks to everyone for the concern and the affection. This means a great deal to me, especially at this time.

Thanks, Elenation. I had my first session of chemo last Thursday and I had been doing pretty well up to that point. Since then I have been sick, sick, sick with nausea and I am finding it almost impossible to eat. Chemo works even better than the band. I have lost between 4-5 lbs in less than a week. I am not thrilled about this; I think a grrl can be too thin!! I am starting to look like a mangey old dog. Ugh! I've managed to make my radiation appointments but today I requested and got an intravenous shot of anti-nauseant drug as well as a prescription for some fairly hi-tech and expensive meds. I am glad I retired with a drug plan.

For sure I remember you. Welcome back and congratulations on your weight loss.

Elenation does propose a kinder, gentler way to manage the graduation question.

I would take them at their word for this would be an excellent way of avoiding doing something you would not enjoy and would only be doing in order to satisfy them. Cancel your appearance, wear flat shoes, and have a drink instead. Later on, when the family start bitchin about the missed graduation, tell them that that ship has sailed, and that they chose to miss the big event but that South Park is interested in the film rights to your graduation ceremony so they might get to see it afterall. Tell them that both Beyonce and Natalie Portman want to play you in the South Park version. Green sez: There is nothing more fun than lying to family and you can do this while wearing comfortable shoes.

It is true that my dream life has improved now that I am a MorphineGrrl. I find my sleeping life much more entertaining. And the stuff is so damn cheap when you have a prescription for it. Still miss having a smoke, though. *sob* I also really miss being well. And the trach is bothering my neck something fierce. blehhh....... But I have been very lucky so far. The folks whom I have met have been great - no burn-out cases so far. Reading your tales has meant a great deal to me, Kat. I feel less alone and I find your adventures in CancerLand to be very interesting. A big thanks to you from me. Boy, this thread is some kind of hijacked, eh!

It seems to me that the automatic sprinkler system, the one that comes on at the appropriate time and drenches your driveway and the bus stop area of your garden would be an excellent hands-off way of getting rid of these human insects. And what about putting a couple of signs up: attention, please do not walk on grass. Dangerous chemicals used here for a pest free lawn. I sympathize with you, by the way. We live next door to the street whacko. He has caused us to spend $5000 in security cameras and lights. We have called the cops on him 3 times. It is an on-going horror show.... But we like our house and haven't found one that is better suited to our needs so we are stuck with Psycho Joe.

It seems to me that the Duodenal Switch is the gluttony option when it comes to weight loss surgery. Ya can keep on crammin' it in because it won't stick around in your system long enough to do ya any damage. Well, some folks really, really love eating and this would be the surgery for them. The only drawback is that anything which issues from your anus could flush al-qaeda out of hiding, a potentially valuable resource, eh. Obviously the army needs a platoon of DSers in Special Ops. Pooping will trump puking.

Grrlfriend, it sure sounds to me like you have been paying your dues with this awful disease. Bravo! to you for puking on the mean woman. This was a story which put a big smile on my face. Well, you definitely wouldn't enjoy my most recent adventures in CancerLand for they have all involved lying very, very still for long periods of time and under claustrophobia inducing conditions. I did the bone scan stuff today. The other day I had my radiation mask made and this is a mask made out of plastic mesh which fits you so tightly you can't swallow your own spit. It is designed to immobilize your head, neck and upper torso while you are being nuked. I had long 2 sessions with the mask: one while they are making it and the second while I was wearing it under the CAT scan donut. It was terrifying! For the bone scan they swaddled me like an infant and I found this to be curiously comforting. Didn't make up for the general unpleasantness of the scan, though. The hearing test was also kinda claustrophobic - the put you in a small sound proofed room - and it came at the end of a long day and the effects of the liquid morphine had long since worn off. I didn't want to bring it with me because with my luck the cap would come off and I would be forced to suck on my purse for narcotics. Not a good thought! I have been lucky so far with respect to the personnel; everyone with whom I have had dealings has been very pleasant. And my husband has been a real champ; he has been my chauffeur, companion, and chef.

Thanks to everyone for your many words of kindness and concern. This means a lot to me. Right now I am still having tests and meeting my medical team. Today I had a bone scan with particular attention paid to my head. You have to lie perfectly still for over 20 minutes per scan. I am a fidgetty kind of person so this was rough. I also got to meet my chemo doc. I will have 3 sessions of chemo during the seven weeks of radiation and I will be left feeling lousy. So lousy in fact that I will be staying in the hospital over night on the chemo days. I also had my hearing measured. I may lose some hearing. blehh. Tomorrow I see the cancer dentist. I have been eating lots of chocolate in all its various forms as well as big breakfasts, etc in order to bulk up. I gained 3 lbs in one week. Normally I would be devasted but I will end up using a feeding tube during part of my treatment - Icky! - and will lose weight as a result. Right now I weigh about 140. Last week I was around 137. Cancer is very slimming. Of course I no longer smoke but I find myself missing 'em at times. It is a powerful addiction, that's for sure.

ROFLMAO That is so true!

Thanks to all of you. You are putting a smile on my face, a tough thing to do today. I saw the oncologist this AM and he is concerned that the cancer may have spread. He also warned me that the 7 weeks of radiation are going to be really horrible. And I have to be fitted with a feeding tube in my stomach. Icky, very icky. I have, however, lost 3-4 lbs so it's chocolate icecream tonight. I gotta bulk up or I will end up looking like an anorexic. How weird is that for a lapband grrl to be saying?!? Thanks once again for all of your support. It means a lot.

Lapband Talk is intended to be a support forum and this is why you will see the good, the bad, and the ugly on LBT. Band problems can and will arise for some people but they will not learn about these problems if they don't have a forum where they can talk about their symptoms and get a little feedback from the band community. This is why we are here. And there will always be newbies who will be asking those same old questions, but then we were all newbies once. Again, this is why we are here. Though you may see many posts as being largely negative in their content, I do not; there are people who run into problems, who have questions, or who just need some moral support from other banded folk. For your information, I was banded when I was 57, and for me the entire experience was a walk in the park except for some hair loss (but fortunately I have thick, coarse hair so even that wasn't too bad). I recovered from surgery quickly. I was one of the lower BMI folks and I met goal in under a year. Now even though I had a real easy time of it LBT sure helped me a lot. I learned a great deal from this site. And by spending my time here I kept myself away from the kitchen! I guess my advice to the OP would be to take what is best for herself from this site and to enjoy her band journey should she opt for this tool in her fight for weight loss.

P.S. Thanks everyone for your concern.

Here is my story. I started suffering from a sore throat last May or June. At first I thought I was coming down with a cold, I am very prone to catching colds, then I thought that I had acid reflux. I had my band loosened and went on reflux meds. This didn't work so I had a complete defill in August. Then I caught one of my epic colds and when I finally recovered my voice did not. Then I got another cold! My voice got worse and my band surgeon thought that I might have a slip. Nope, that was not the problem. Finally I saw an Ear, Nose and Throat guy. By this time my voice was shot and I was having difficulties breathing. He said I had a growth and booked an appointment with the chief surgeon at an excellent hospital who took one look at me, had me booked into the hospital as a patient and did a tracheostomy. I was there for a week. While I was there they did a lot of tests and they taught me how to look after myself and my trach. I am at home now and tomorrow I will be seeing the oncologist at the hospital which only treats cancer patients. I will be finding out how they are going to treat my tumor and whether I will be stuck with this trach forever. Fortunately the tumor, though large, is all in one place. This means that I probably will live, eh. The trach is a drag; it hurts and is messy and I cannot talk. And the treatment - whatever it is - is gonna hurt and be messy, too. My mate has been great and I think he really enjoys Silent Green. lol As for being green, being ill is not environmentally friendly! All my supplies come individually wrapped and the amount of garbage I am generating has trippled! I gotta say that I am happy that I live in the land of universal health care. I haven't paid a cent for my care, not at the hospital, nor here at home. The home visits from the nurses, the medical equipment, and the medical supplies, right down to the hydrogen peroxide, are all free to me. Mind you, the thread count on those hospital sheets wasn't all that high, eh. I was starting to develop sores.... But the support staff were great and I did have a private room. And morphine on tap. teehee