Betsyjane

I used a straw for the first 3 months, until anotherbanster told me not to. I've been without one since then. I'm beginning to believe that after becoming an experienced bandster, you can tell for yourself what is wise and what isn't, but it's probably good to be pretty strict about things until you are restricted and experienced with your restriction.

I also want to address a concern Jodie had awhile back, that threads she starts for support always end up as a "Jodie's crazy" thread. I imagine that gets pretty frustrating. I think the reason that happens is that the stuff you put in this and your other threads is way out there, and I'm not sure how much you recognize that. The responses about getting help are just that....responding to someone whose life is chaotic and sounds painful. Please consider the way people respond to you as a mirror others hold up so you can see your own reflection and decide what to do about it. It's not feedback toward you that's coming out of the blue. It's about the things you say that lead us all to hope you will get help and stick with it. If you're lost in the woods and have no idea how to get out, you don't rely on yourself to lead the way...you ask someone who isn't lost.

I gotta say my 2 cents. I think we need to be careful about recommending things. Regarding dumping toxic Mom, I'm assuming none of us know Jodie or her Mom in real life. Parents are a mixed blessing in this situation, and while it may be that Jodie needs to split, it may also be that Jodie would benefit from staying where she is and getting some help before she goes back out on her own. We can support, but jumping to conclusions that can powerfully impact a life we hardly know seems a bit much.

There are AA groups just about everywhere, and if that doesn't seem like a fit, there are support groups for other issues as well, including for bipolar. There are also county mental health offices in each county that can tell you what services are available. And there are rape crisis centers that keep information confidential. FYI: There are usually more services paid for for BP and depression than for Borderline PD, and insurance if you have it usually covers more for BP. I know this is frustrating, but it's not at all unusual to have a Borderline Personality Disorder and then have other diagnoses as well. BPD truly does seem to "borderline" the symptoms of other problems. All of which is to say that seeking help on a variety of fronts is probably a good use of your time while you are in transition. You could probably get a lot of work done and over with before you head back to pursue your law career, and that would be time well spent. It would also give you some goals for your time while you are with your folks. Best wishes to you, Jody.

Hmm I get the hint but don't know the people by name. I used to know some folks by first name only. I'll drive by and see if the place registers anything for me. Glad you got it sold!

I think my rheumy is working on her bandster comedy schtick. Won't be surprised to see her doing stand up. I suppose dealing with chronically sick people, you have to do something to entertain yourself and your patients. Anyway, she was sure right about me! I really was surprised about the low blood sugar....It's probably worth having it checked periodically during this process. Barbara-are you still PBing when you try to eat? Are hot liquids helping at all, or the time of day? Hope you can still get your water down. Great to hear from you, Lana! And congrats on your house! OK...I'll bite. Vantage View is a tiny street, so I'm open for a hint.... Although it's been awhile since I've been there. Do a hint either on their name or the looks of their VV house.... Are we all eating together Monday? I had another thought...How about Soup & Salad so Barbara can maybe have a soup?

Oh start laughing now! I went to my rheumatologist to get the results of my blood tests, since I'm feeling bad. #1 was a surprise. #2 was not. 1. I have gone from a pill taking diabetic to a not needing a pill diabetic. NOW I appear to have such low blood sugar that I have to start thinking like a hypogyycemic to get my blood sugar above 40! I asked her what I should to about it and she said, "EAT SOMETHING!!!!" Then it started. I laughed through the whole thing. Here's what she said, as best as I can quote it... I know you people. I've had enough of you lap banders in here that I'm starting to get it. When you feel sick and you know you are very restricted when sick, you should get a slight unfill. But you people won't DO it, will you? Noooooooo! You people don't WAN'T to be able to eat more. You'd rather not be able to get enough nutrition in to sustain you, and then your body cries out for food, and so you eat ice cream because it goes down easily, don't you! So then your blood sugar goes up, and then crashes, so you eat more easy stuff, right? So your meals are small but you don't lose much weight...am I right or am I right! Unfortunately, she absolutely nailed my behavior when I'm sick. So I have to eat a cube of cheese or a half dozen nuts or a green salad every 1.5-2 hours between meals. I know she's right..... But it was a great and dramatic show. 2. My Lupus is totally out of control. So I have to go back on the heavy duty meds for a week, which prompted this exchange.... Dr: You should have come to me earlier when you felt this bad, but noooo...you're too busy with your lap band. You're paying attention to calories instead of this total decline in your health. Me: I might not have needed the band if you hadn't give me all those meds that make me gain weight. Dr: It's not my fault you got Lupus and didn't want to die. Anyway, I really like our relationship. She's developing a good sarcastic routine about us bandsters.

Oh start laughing now! I went to my rheumatologist to get the results of my blood tests, since I'm feeling bad. #1 was a surprise. #2 was not. 1. I have gone from a pill taking diabetic to a not needing a pill diabetic. NOW I appear to have such low blood sugar that I have to start thinking like a hypogyycemic to get my blood sugar above 40! I asked her what I should to about it and she said, "EAT SOMETHING!!!!" Then it started. I laughed through the whole thing. Here's what she said, as best as I can quote it... I know you people. I've had enough of you lap banders in here that I'm starting to get it. When you feel sick and you know you are very restricted when sick, you should get a slight unfill. But you people won't DO it, will you? Noooooooo! You people don't WAN'T to be able to eat more. You'd rather not be able to get enough nutrition in to sustain you, and then your body cries out for food, and so you eat ice cream because it goes down easily, don't you! So then your blood sugar goes up, and then crashes, so you eat more easy stuff, right? So your meals are small but you don't lose much weight...am I right or am I right! Unfortunately, she absolutely nailed my behavior when I'm sick. So I have to eat a cube of cheese or a half dozen nuts or a green salad every 1.5-2 hours between meals. I know she's right..... But it was a great and dramatic show. 2. My Lupus is totally out of control. So I have to go back on the heavy duty meds for a week, which prompted this exchange.... Dr: You should have come to me earlier when you felt this bad, but noooo...you're too busy with your lap band. You're paying attention to calories instead of this total decline in your health. Me: I might not have needed the band if you hadn't give me all those meds that make me gain weight. Dr: It's not my fault you got Lupus and didn't want to die. Anyway, I really like our relationship. She's developing a good sarcastic routine about us bandsters.

Does anyone here belong to consumerlab.com? I'm trying to find out which chewable multivitamin tests best.

Does anybody here belong to consumerlab.com? I'm trying to find out if they have tested chewable multi vitamins and which ones test as good.

Hmmm. That's an interesting idea. Our gang has assorted commitments that we made individually, so we haven't worked out together. Several of us go to health clubs, one Jazzercises, one does Tai Chi and several others are toying with it. Congrats on your banding and your weight loss! Come join us for dinner. I think we're meeting this coming Monday at 6:15PM, but I don't know where. Anybody want to go to Tai Li in Atascocita?

I just saw someone who has an exercise ticker. I'm going to go put one under my weight loss ticker. Nice idea for accountability..... Here goes.

As long as sshe's willing, and can own the changes instead of crediting them to you.... Hey, I like your exercise ticker. I'm going to go start one.....

Stevia is also in most grocery chains now in the health food section. The deal is that it isn't an FDA deal so it can't be approved as a sweetener, so sometimes it is in with sugars and sometimes with supplements. You can also buy stevia plants at many of the national seed houses and grow your own. As far as I'm concenred, it's the only artificial sweetener I've used that doesn't raise my blood sugar and give me gas!

Be careful with artificial sweeteners. They raise blood sugar just like regular sugar does. You save the calories, but with the blood sugar bounces, the sugar cravings are profound. Better to shoot for getting the palate away from the taste of sweets of any kind.

Pouch dilation is when your little upper stomach gets too full repeatedly and the pouch stretches. Then you feel like you can eat way too much...because you have a bigger stomach to fill. It most often happens if you have too much restriction and try to live long term with an overfill so even correct amounts of food don't go through quickly enough and stretch the pouch while you wait. Vikki-I'd sure want to go over all of this with your Dr.....

On the other hand, I panicked for the last time coming out of surgery. Haven't looked back since. I hated going through bandster hell until I got restriction, but my doubts were gone....

I guess it's pretty individual, but ideally, you'd only want to be restricted enough to eat small meals, not just mushies that might not keep you feeling full long enough. And not so restricted that you PB or feel pain when eating small meals.... The other issue would be being so restricted that food can't get through quickly enough and causes pouch dilation. Of course I recently met someone at goal weight who only drinks his meals....he says food is too big a hassle. His doctor gets after him, but he's not going to change, and is happy. Eats lots of blended soups. I just read something about artificial sweeteners giving people gas and other severe GI syptoms.....I'm going to cut ine out and see if it makes a difference.....

Grieving saying goodbye to an old friend.

When I'm not doing something utterly stupid, here's my food plan.... Breakfast (I am usually VERY restricted): EAS Carb Control Protein shake, ice, chewable Vitamin, chewable Calcium, frozen fuit, fresh fruit, extra whey protein (Any Whey), in a blender. I sometimes drink at once, sometimes sip most of the morning. Then Water until lunch. I don't do Crystal Light, but sometimes I put a splash of fruit juice in my water. Snack: Usually none. If I NEEED one, I have a 100 calorie carb control Protein Bar, or around 8 nuts. Nuts fill me up fast. Lunch: meat and vege. Could be canned tuna and chopped fresh veges....Could be ground beef and grilled veges....anything. Wait an hour and then water until dinner. Snack: Green salad with a tiny bit of really yummy dressing. Dinner: Same as lunch. If I'm out for lunch or dinner, I give myself the treat of ordering absolutely anything and just doing portion control. At home, I'm stricter about only healthy foods. After dinner: water. sugar free popsicle. I count up my protein and if I'm short, I have part or all of another Protein Shake. The EAS Carb Control ones are only 110 calories.....

Marni-Do you get the barium swallow when you get a fill? You might want to check and see if you have a dilated pouch. Mine was, and I would go from too tight not to PB...to hungry enough to eat a horse. It can happen if you ar edealing with a too tight band so that food, or even liquid, takes too long to go through and your pouch dilates to accommodate the food waiting to go through. For me, the answer was to go on liquids for 3 days and let the pouch reduce in size, and then to drink more slowly in the morning when I'm really tight....so tha tI lost some weight and loosened the band by losing some stomach fat. For others, the answer is a slight unfill...or a complete unfill and let the pouch rest a few eeks. All I can tell you is that the symptoms for me were feeling too tight and also feeling like I wasn't full and was hungry. Now I'm back on track, and my only hunger pains are head hunger from missing having food when I'm bored! You might also want to think about carb intake. For me, when I eat carbs, I don't lose weight. Just a thought. Now that I'm cruising again, I have my morning shake for breakfast, meat and veges for lunch, and meat and veges for dinner. Snacks are nuts or a 100 calorie low carb Protein bar or a green salad. I don't do "wet and dry" foods like soups because they go through too fast and don't allow me to feel full.

Lana-Did you go/are you going to Tai Chi?

Yeah, and I get the vicarious pleasure of knowing someone who got one of the first I-phones.

Woo hoo! You can't keep a good woman down!

:hungry:I thought we might be able to share some ideas. Right now, this is what I'm most comfortable with in a day.... Breakfast (I am usually VERY restricted): EAS Carb Control Protein shake, ice, chewable Vitamin, chewable Calcium, frozen fuit, fresh fruit, extra whey protein (Any Whey), in a blender. I sometimes drink at once, sometimes sip most of the morning. Then Water until lunch. I don't do Crystal Light, but sometimes I put a splash of fruit juice in my water. Snack: Usually none. If I NEEED one, I have a 100 calorie carb control Protein Bar, or around 8 nuts. Nuts fill me up fast. Lunch: meat and vege. Could be canned tuna and chopped fresh veges....Could be ground beef and grilled veges....anything. Then water until dinner. Snack: Green salad with a tiny bit of really yummy dressing. Dinner: Same as lunch. If I'm out for lunch or dinner, I give myself the treat of ordering absolutely anything and just doing portion control. At home, I'm stricter about only healthy foods. After dinner: water. sugar free popsicle. I count up my protein and if I'm short, I have part or all of another Protein Shake. The EAS Carb Control ones are only 110 calories.....