transformer

Scales and the force of gravity are evil...pure evil!

Will Getting Banded Make Me Grow Gills? I Am Very Worried About This...

My Doctor Said I Should Switch to Screws Instead Of Nails. Then I Can Say I Have A Few Screws "Lose" While Getting Enough Iron!

After all of this drama, I can't even remember what this stupid thread was for!!! I think it's early on-set Alzheimer's! Yikes! I'm so confused! All I know is that there's no way I could keep two separate screen names straight. My cover would be blown in a nanosecond! Well, I scrolled back to the top and discovered that we're supposed to be listing who we would love to meet in person! :focus: There are a whole bunch of people I'd like to meet someday: all of the "steady losers" who were banded in December '06 like me: beversman, Nathalie, nikki32, sweethot143, Boo Boo Kitty, KayDotRn, VAbandster, maurdan, and anyone else my muddled mind has forgotten! I'd be curious to meet some of the folks who have expressed really strong opinions on the Rant and Rave threads. Are they really soft-spoken people who just let out their ranting and raving side in the comfort of the anonymous on-line world? Hmmm...

A strange force suddenly compelled me to add a new post to this thread to keep Frankenthread alive!! (Insert evil laugh here).

Wasa--keep in mind that not everyone can handle the success of others in a mature and rational fashion (to put it mildly)! As for me, I prefer to be associated with talented, bright, and successful people! I keep hoping it'll rub off on me! LOL! Here's a great scenario to ponder-- I NEED YOUR HELP! I HAVE PICA. I JUST ATE A HALF A CUP OF NAILS AND I WANT TO KNOW IF IT WILL HURT MY BAND! WHAT SHOULD I DO? (To learn more about pica, click Mental Health: Pica) I Think I Have "Loosed" My Mind! I'm Typing In An Annoying Way! :doh:

Hello fellow bandsters! Nathalie—You deserve all of the flattery! Isn’t it nice when people notice all of your hard work? :whoo: Nikki32—You’re getting noticed, too? Very cool! You go, girl! :cool: Kaydotrn—I certainly hope you are off doing all of the things I wish I was doing! Don’t be keeping all those juicy details in Vegas now—some of us have no life and have to live vicariously through the rest of you wild and crazy ladies! LOL :heh: Claudiagdlmex—I’m so sorry your blind date was horrible! Good for you for having the courage to leave. Knowing me, I would have suffered through hours with him instead of making a break for freedom! Sometimes blind dates can be wonderful. My mom met her second husband on a blind date. They went out for 6 months and got married (he was a wonderful man, so there's hope)! :sleep VABandster—I’m hoping we’ll get back to an unusually warm weather pattern this week so that being without heat will be more bearable! I’m pretty sure that my new gas pack/AC combo will be installed on Friday. There’s a light at the end of my very cold tunnel, but there will be fewer gifts under the tree because now I'm broke! :smokin: Babygotback—Good to hear from you! Congratulations on reaching your goal! You rock! :rockon: Boo Boo Kitty—I’m so excited that you can get into size 8s! Alright! You reminded me about the two size 8 suits I have hiding in my closet. I used to fit in them when I was engaged to my former-DH about 20 years ago (in 1988)!!! :faint: StephC—I haven’t seen the chocolate fountain commercial yet, but I’m sure I’ll see a whole lot of myself in THAT commercial!!! :hungry: B-man—OMG!! Look at you in that smoking hot goth outfit!! Your studly Marine is SO going to have to swat away scads of men if he wants a date with you! Sweethot143—Great job keeping up with that running! You are wonderful! Sorry to hear about the dumb old shinsplints though. That really stinks! :crutch: My exciting news is that I was finally able to buy a three-piece pantsuit I've had my eye on for a while and it only cost about $30.00! It comes with black pants, a purple/black patterned tank, and a purple and black suit jacket. It's a size 18W petite! The tank and jacket are not tight at all, but the pants are a bit snug thanks to my gosh darn jelly belly! It's like my top half is approaching a 16, but my bottom half is still an 18/20. If I could afford to get my midsection sucked out and the skin cut off, I'd probably be in a size 14 or 16 by now! Grrr!!! :frusty: Here's a group hug to everyone--hang in there next week! Thanks again for the inspiration!!!

That means if I can get PS soon, I can join that population, too! Cool!

Hi Everyone! I am just about rolling off the couch reading all of these crazy posts! I can't breathe! LOL Thanks so much for the entertainment! My laughter was tempered somewhat by some of the messages I've come across this evening on multiple threads I visited. They are actually discouraging me from participating on this site any more. Multiple personalities? Aliases? Following people from site to site just to be mean? Who has the time to do things like this? I am totally creeped out! I guess I'm very naive, but I thought we were all here to support one another in our quest to become healthier...not to tear one another down just because we are not all identical. I for one am grateful that I can interact with all kinds of people because I can learn a lot. Those of you who are fussing at one another are just beating a dead horse..just quit communicating with one another and give the rest of us who are trying to be positive a break! :deadhorse: I feel like I'm on the school yard with my third graders again...OMG! Traumatic flashback time! "Do I have to call your parents or are all of you going to behave starting right now?" Enough of my soapbox ranting. Time to get back to the topic du jour...I have to say that the funniest question I've seen so far is: "Is licking a chicken McNugget considered cheating on the post-banding diet?" I read that one when I had just been banded. It hurt SO bad to laugh! I thought my band was going to POP right back out! My son wanted to know what demented soul would actually want to lick a McNugget on purpose! Of course, he's a 6'4" teen who eats everything he can get his hands on. Although he did break his jaw once, so he ought to know what it's like not to be able to eat solid food... I'll close with this urgent statement: I like kumquats! :faint: Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

Hi! I just stumbled upon this thread...I live in Newport News and I was banded last December. I feel like I have a pretty good fill finally. I think this was my third fill--I'm at 9cc in my 10cc band now. For those of you who are getting impatient, you will get there eventually, too! Hang in there!

I agree with DonHoll1 who said that you probably need a fill. I'd call your doctor if you haven't had one done in a while. If the band is working well, you shouldn't feel hungry all the time. Hang in there--once your band is adjusted, you'll go back to doing really well! I just know it!

Hey ladies! StephC--EVERYTHING is better under a chocolate fountain? Everything? And how would you know something so sinful, I wonder? Oh, you were talking about food? Hee, hee! :biggrin1: Beversman--You ran! I'm so excited you ran! :faint: My new method of burning calories is by freezing my big, bad butt off! I still don't have heat! Brrr! The broken part came in, the repairman was here again today, but the heat pump still doesn't work. I might have to buy an entire new heating system and I just don't have the money to pay for it. OOPS! :cry By the way, the swirling Tasmanian Devil was added in honor of my recently more hyperactive little self. Perhaps I've been imbibing (great word, huh?) too much caffeine lately?

StephC—where you go? LOL. I hate having junk food in the house, too. With this new fill, all I have to resist is chocolate and ice cream though. If I tried eating anything more doughy, like a doughnut, I'll be seeing that sucker again! I’m not a big candy eater, unless it’s made of chocolate, of course! :hungry: Sweethot143—I think that lying in a huge chocolate fountain with B-man’s handsome Marine might just be my new ultimate hot fantasy! Mmmm-mmm-good! It's a heck of a lot better than lying around contemplating my belly flap! :confused: As for the skiing, give it a try. Just think—you get to go skiing with your smaller jacket! Nikki32—You got into a size 14! AWESOME!!!! :hail: Nathalie—From a 3x to a large with room to spare? Whoo-hoo!!!! You rock! :rockon: Keep up the good work everyone! :whoo:

Butterflylover--Check your private messages for the link to the butterfly picture!

Hi ladies! Bannannie--You made it to 158?? You are incredible!!!! :waytogo: StephC--I'm so sorry you had such a bad day... Now that my band is tight, just thinking about eating a Hot Pocket is making me gag. :puke: EWWW! Thanks so much for pointing out that it’s okay to lose at different rates. I have to keep reminding myself that the ultimate goal is to be healthy and more energetic no matter how long it takes. We gotta look at the “big picture,” too! Nathalie— You got into regular size 16s—that is fantastic!! I hope you make it to your exercise goal this week! :cheer2: Nikki32—No worries! I was just kidding around. :biggrin1: Sweethot143—Isn’t it cool to enjoy going shopping and getting dressed up? Your excitement is rubbing off on me! Kaydotrn—I haven’t figured out the whole podcast thing just yet, so you’re light years ahead of me! I went to the website with the “Couch to 5K” information, but I didn’t know what to do once I got there! How sad is that? Maybe I’ll ask my son for help. :noidea: Beversman—Does this mean you’re willing to share your handsome Marine buddy’s phone number? If you hesitate too long, I know a pack of ladies who just might snap him up! Sorry, I couldn’t resist! Oh yeah—I actually made the effort to check the football scores. Sorry your Colts lost! From what I read in the news, both teams made some really dumb mistakes! OOPS! VABandster—Even if you don’t make it to 225 before January, remember that you’ve already lost more than me in all! That is outstanding!!!! My boy gets to stay home tomorrow…I wish I could play “hooky” too! I wore a sweater to work today that I’ve been trying on every Sunday for weeks! That sucker finally fits well enough for me to wear it out in public! I finally lost enough weight so that I’m moving around much more easily lately so exercising isn’t as hard. I just found out last week that I have jury duty from next Tuesday through December 7th. I never had to do that before. I hope I don’t have to miss too much work—there’s so much to get done! Should I sound like I’m prejudiced against everything so I don’t get picked as a juror? I can say I hate fat people, skinny people, short people, tall people, people with two ears, college graduates, anyone who wears blue, people who wear glasses, or even anyone with hair! :devious Think it’ll work? LOL Hope everyone stays on track this week—good luck!!!!

Hello! I didn't mean to sound like a total moron Nikki--it just comes naturally! :doh: It sounds like you have a very healthy attitude so you're bound to do well before and after the birth! Congrats on only gaining 28 lbs. with your other four children--that is fantastic! Some ladies I work with are viewing their pregnancies as a time to go all out and eat everything they can get their hands on--not such a healthy attitude, huh? I guess they haven't realized yet that the baby will only weigh a few pounds! LOL As for me, pregnancy has never agreed with me. I had 2 miscarriages and one full-term pregnancy in which I gained 85 pounds because I had toxemia, high blood pressure, and gestational diabetes. I was bedridden for the last 2 1/2 months of the pregnancy while having to eat 2,000 calories a day. After a week of being induced and 28 hours of labor, my son was finally born. The little sucker just didn't want to come out (we soon found out why!). After years of struggling to find out why he was throwing 30-minute long tantrums 5-6 times/day and could not function in any daycare, he was diagnosed with bipolar, AD/HD, and ODD. I pretty much decided then that making more babies isn't something I should aspire to do! With all I've been through with this one child (becoming a single mom when he was 3 months old, learning to restrain him by the time he was 3 so I wouldn't get hurt, his being thrown out of 12 daycares between 3-6 years old, being institutionalized in a pediatric psych ward for a week when he was 5, attending 7 public schools so far, etc.) I can't even imagine how on earth I'd keep up with more children. Right now I'm seriously considering taking over his education as well. He's a sophomore already in his third high school setting. The two large high schools he attended last year were an absolute nightmare and he is still struggling to learn in the smaller setting he's in now. No one at any grade level would follow through with the few modifications he needed to be successful even if he had an IEP (a totally worthless packet of paper, in my opinion). His current principal said that disability or no disability, they "don't have time" to deal with him (even with meds his moods still swing at times and he is not always a perfectly compliant little sheep). They don't have time with class sizes less than 15 students? WTF? All the time I was in the classroom before taking an administrative position, I had collaborative special ed. students and had no problem at all doing what needed to be done to make sure they succeeded. I guess it all boils down to whether or not you are actually committed to the success of all students or not. In the end, I seem to be the only person who can work with him and the only person he can count on. It's kind of funny in a way...I'm in public education and I hate it! Well, that's my rant for the day! You can tell all of this is weighing heavily on my mind these days. I gotta go look over my budget now to figure out if I can pay for on-line home-schooling for my bright young lad! I was thinking last night that it's too bad I had to be a self-payer to get my band because I have to pay off the loan I took out which will make it harder to afford to pay for his schooling, too! Sigh! The good news of the day is that my band is tight and I'm not eating because I'm upset for once in my sorry little life! Hooray for the band! :clap2:

Hi there! Those of you who just had the lapband surgery would benefit from buying some Gas-X. It really cut down on the amount of pain I had! I hope the pain passes for all of you soon!

Hi there! I was banded last December. I didn't start feeling better until about four days after the surgery (lots of muscle aches). The anesthesia hit me like a ton of bricks! The pain in the center of your chest is probably gas pains. Ask someone to pick up some Gas-X for you if you aren't able to drive yet. It was a real life-saver for me! I hope you are feeling better soon!

Hi there! Dr. Terracina did my surgery last December. He and the staff were wonderful! You are in good hands! I'm a tranplanted Virginian--originally from up north. I've been in the area since 2001. I hope all goes well for you!

Hi there! Sorry to hear about your friends' reactions. I think they are just ignorant about the serious issues you face when trying to lose weight. Anyone who says this is "the easy way out" is an idiot, plain and simple. It just proves their ignorance. All of us have to put in the effort to eat properly, drink enough Water, and exercise just like anyone else--banded or not. The band is just a tool to help control insatiable hunger. Duh! I made the choice to only tell a few people (my boss, a couple colleagues who were evolved above the cave man level, my son who would notice I disappeared when I went to the hospital, and my ex-husband who is the only adult in the area who could pick me up at the hospital after surgery). Anyone else who comments on how I'm losing weight gets my pat answer, "Diet and Exercise." Quite frankly, it's none of their gosh-darn business. So there! I do have four brothers and sisters who I haven't told yet. My one-year bandiversary is coming up in December and I am going "home" to visit at Christmas. They will hopefully notice that I've lost weight, so I may tell them about my surgery. We'll see! In any case, I'm sorry you had to put up with people being mean to you. It's best that you focus on doing what you need to do in order to be healthy--the heck with them!

Hi there! My doctor says I have to be on liquids for two days after a fill and then mushies for two more days before eating solids again. You will get some swelling of your stomach when the fill is done. That could be why the food is not going down well. Once the swelling goes down it should be easier.

Welcome! Good luck! I hope your surgery goes very well!

Hi there! When I was on mushies after surgery, I stuck with very soft foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, and fat free refried Beans. Remember that your stitches are still healing and your stomach is still swollen from the surgery. For the gas pains, take Gas-X. It was a real lifesaver for me! Good luck!

Hi! What a great Christmas gift to give yourself! I was banded almost a year ago! If I remember correctly, they took my vital signs, drew blood, etc. It was just routine testing to make sure I was healthy enough for surgery. I hope all goes well for you!

Hi there! People are SO stupid sometimes! Focus on the fact that you have already made an important decision to do what you have to do to be a healthier, happier person. The next time you are unfortunate enough to run into that awful woman, you'll be banded and well into your weight loss journey. Then she can just be jealous of all you've accomplished! Hee, hee! :evil: I hope all goes well for you!