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I learned to NEVER give up hope. There are things in life you may not even know exist that can help you. Recall I had come to the conclusion about a year before that I could never lose weight on my own cuz My body was in so much pain that excersize was out and life was just too hard. I couldnt do it when it was alot easier. I had NEVEr admitted defeat about anything before. I had to. Once I did it became alot easier to live with myself. So.. It happened by acident: I had been givin some ULTRAM (non narcotic pain pills) for my menstral pains (obgyn) and soon found my self able to be more physically mobile. I realized I was being all mobile cuz my body didnt hurt. It was a magical day. I was sorting laundry, washing it, drying it.. as if I hadnt just spent the last year Sitting on top of it for three hours, sorting as I sat. And having the kids put the loads in. I discovered PAIN pills, and how if your body hurts and you releive that body of hurt, it functions better.. (I swear it was like finding the meaning to life) I could clean the house, feed the animals, park myself, check the mail, wash my hair...etc etc. I COULD ALSO get some excersize in and focus on my health not on my exhastion and blinding pain. I HAD HOPE AGAIN.. I was alive again. I was SAVED! NOt so fast: My doctor was a fucking cunt from hell who I wish I could confront and humiliate to this day. (all the reasons why will NOT be covered in here) I told her a million times in the past I had constant pain mostly in my back. NOw, I told her how the pills (prescribed by a gyno) had releived that pain and that I would like to have some more for every day please. She laughed in my face. (OH god if you could see the faces she made!) She said I was too "euphoric" about my new found mobility and ability to LIVE a real life. She said narcotic Pills are not prescribed to make people feel happy about their life. She said "cocain makes people feel good, should they do it?" I told her I didnt feel high at all, I knew what high feels like, I wasnt euphoric, If I ever became euphoric I would report to her.. I was willing to start on a low dose. I tried to get her to understand that I WANTED THE PILLS TO RELEIVE THE PAIN IN MY BACK AND BODY.. and BECAUSE that pain was releived, I was able to be my normal happy self. IT WAS NOT the drug making me happy.. SHEESH Finally she says "there is nothing wrong with you.. your obese and your out of shape and your simply having aches and pains and if you would drink more water, excersize and take care of your self, You will feel alot better." She said the way I referred to it as getting my life back showed that I was overly sinsitive and dramatic and extreemly emotional. She also said this is the cause of my pain. That If I had a more possitive and brighter look out on life, I wouldnt have the pain I THink I have. (the thought of her checking my back or doing any kind of research at all to see where my pain was coming from.. was not discussed or thought of by me..I just didnt think of it. If I had I would of asked her to check me out, she should of done that nayway) When she normally said these things, I felt belittled and I shut down. BUT nOW, MY LIFE was at stake. So I tried to show her why I knew those things werent true. I knew what pain was and how to listen to my body. I was NOT stupid! I explained that I had left a crackwhore mom and quit a very bad life of crime and perversion and addictions.. I made a life for myself and my children from age 16, I graduated high school in the top ten, I went on to get my AA and then moved all alone to get my BA.. and I had walked through floods to get the kids to daycare, and worked any shit job i could find, I raised really good kids and I never ever left them, I have lived in my car with my kids for two weeks JUST so we didnt miss any school, and I walked 40 blocks sometimes when my car broke down to college and back rather than risk doing poorly or missing school. I told her how I excelled in every job, I was teachers aid and the next year made a preschool teacher (unheard of for a student) I then taught the incoming students on how to be with the kids and I AM the one who came up with the curriculum after taking a 500 level class..and it was used for the two years I was there. I was trained and became cetified to provide foster care to kids 12 to 21 (though I never took them up on it) The agency pratically begged me to write a proposal so they could open a much needed teen parent home.. I got on at Rape crisis and soon I had the key to the office and the pager for weeks at a time when the rule was no more than 48 hours and it was cuz I outshined and prooved myself to be better than most. Much more. I never had a man taking care of me, and no parents and didnt need friends either. My kids were in every sport, I was room mother. I did special needs child care, I organized city block garage sales, I threw parties for the college housing kids, Those things above were VERY hard for me. I was young, alone, mom of three, poor and obese. I told her that I bust my ass everyday, I have been for a long time. I told her that I dont feel happy unless I am exhausted and feeling my efforts and find it unsettling to lay around and relax. I told her I am not affraid of pain. I kinda thrived on it. I told her that I go 100% almost every day and it barely covers the basics. She snorted at that. Didnt tell her: (I have fallen, passed out and bruised myself at times because its not in me to quit, It makes me feel like shit. So i go too far. I happend to have developed a habit of self abuse. BUT its not abuse if you like it!) I know doctors dont like it when you go on and on (protest too much) BUT I NEEDED her to stop assuming I was some obese lazy loser who didnt know anything. My degree was in psychology. I KNEW plenty. Still she refused.. asking me "what are you doing now" "I HAD TO QUIT SCHOOL cuz of the pain.. I can hardly manage my day" Scoffed.. I tried one more thing.. That IF my pain wasnt really real, that the pain pills wouldnt have that affect.. and if I was depressed and lazy and unmotivated ... HOW and WHY would I suddenly start doing all the things I always did before I got the pain. I would still choose to sit around and be lazy and whine if that was true. She said that narcotics are very powerful drugs that fool the brain and give you a high that can make you do all kinds of things.. I told her I think If that was happeneing I would like do stupid things like druggies do.. BUt I happen to do the things I did before like laundry and the yard and wash the car (things I had stopped doin) She never really heard me and just said what she thought anyway. This was not one appointment. This was many over several months .... I refused to give up. I got the ultram for my cramps once a month and thus I had some to experiment with.. I found out that I never got euphoric, that I only needed like two pills and That they did indeed make me whole again. I saved some to take to camping and BAM, I was doing ALL the camp things I used to love but had to stop cuz of pain. I prooved it to myself over and over that I was NOT lazy and depressed. I made the mistake and told her this and she said I was misusing the pills and she was going to talk to my gyno about that. So here is some back story on the gyno.. this doctor (the cunt) had dicked me around for almost two years.. I had extreme menstral pain and begged for help. Somehow she held me off for that long. I was never gave a pap and she was giving me depo and said I was lucky to get that cuz it did help alittle. ONE day after expelling a ruber chunk the size of a deck of cards, I refused to let her dissmiss me. She threw her hands up and said "GO TO A specialist, THATS all I can tell yOU" She was mocking me.. BUT I DID GO The obgyn specialist, listened to me for half an hour, told me I had some problems to take care of and look into and gave me the ultram for pain. (I have had two ablations and soon to have a hysterectomy) NOW my doctor is threatning to call the obgyn. BUT, I had a nice conversation with the gyno about how my doctor said there were NO pills for menstral releif but anitinflamitories.. The gyno said ultram is used all the time. That I had symptoms of menstral diseases and would need a pap. She realizes I never had one in the two years and she asks me why and I said I didint know.. she explained it was highly irregular and she was shocked. I said my doctor never brought it up until she told me to see a specialist. She was nice to me and wanted to help me. Well the obgyn left practice and I had to turn to my doctor for the pills for my period and she refused, calling them narcotics and NOT for mentral pain. I told her that the obgyn said ultram IS for cramps (used all the time) and that she should doube check. And NOT a narcotic She wasnt saying that she didnt want to give them to me. She was saying that THEY WERE NOT prescribed for cramps. Ummm.. Can she proove it. One of them is wrong. So she faxed the file.. and came in laughing at me that there was NO history of me ever having ultram and that the obgyn had said I was a basket case and needed therapy to get over my fear of a pap smear. I told her I needed to schedule a pap.... and she said she didnt do them. I learned later that basetcase was mY words, and that my doctor had told the obgyn that I had refused paps.. NO I never! I wouldnt refuse, I wasnt that bold. had she told be about them I would of had one. SHe didnt tell me. Plus I found out she DID do paps all along. Well all I had to do is calll the obgyn offices and ask for another obgyn to look in my file and see what I was prescribed and please call it in.. It was done in 10 mimutes.. (she had lied again about not seeing it in the file, he had seen it jut fine) She wasnt happy once I prooved it to her and she had no excuse to deny me.. It was only 15 pills. like 5 aday for 3 days.. I needed them every day.

I learned to NEVER give up hope. There are things in life you may not even know exist that can help you. Recall I had come to the conclusion about a year before that I could never lose weight on my own cuz My body was in so much pain that excersize was out and life was just too hard. I couldnt do it when it was alot easier. I had NEVEr admitted defeat about anything before. I had to. Once I did it became alot easier to live with myself. So.. It happened by acident: I had been givin some ULTRAM (non narcotic pain pills) for my menstral pains (obgyn) and soon found my self able to be more physically mobile. I realized I was being all mobile cuz my body didnt hurt. It was a magical day. I was sorting laundry, washing it, drying it.. as if I hadnt just spent the last year Sitting on top of it for three hours, sorting as I sat. And having the kids put the loads in. I discovered PAIN pills, and how if your body hurts and you releive that body of hurt, it functions better.. (I swear it was like finding the meaning to life) I could clean the house, feed the animals, park myself, check the mail, wash my hair...etc etc. I COULD ALSO get some excersize in and focus on my health not on my exhastion and blinding pain. I HAD HOPE AGAIN.. I was alive again. I was SAVED! NOt so fast: My doctor was a fucking cunt from hell who I wish I could confront and humiliate to this day. (all the reasons why will NOT be covered in here) I told her a million times in the past I had constant pain mostly in my back. NOw, I told her how the pills (prescribed by a gyno) had releived that pain and that I would like to have some more for every day please. She laughed in my face. (OH god if you could see the faces she made!) She said I was too "euphoric" about my new found mobility and ability to LIVE a real life. She said narcotic Pills are not prescribed to make people feel happy about their life. She said "cocain makes people feel good, should they do it?" I told her I didnt feel high at all, I knew what high feels like, I wasnt euphoric, If I ever became euphoric I would report to her.. I was willing to start on a low dose. I tried to get her to understand that I WANTED THE PILLS TO RELEIVE THE PAIN IN MY BACK AND BODY.. and BECAUSE that pain was releived, I was able to be my normal happy self. IT WAS NOT the drug making me happy.. SHEESH Finally she says "there is nothing wrong with you.. your obese and your out of shape and your simply having aches and pains and if you would drink more water, excersize and take care of your self, You will feel alot better." She said the way I referred to it as getting my life back showed that I was overly sinsitive and dramatic and extreemly emotional. She also said this is the cause of my pain. That If I had a more possitive and brighter look out on life, I wouldnt have the pain I THink I have. (the thought of her checking my back or doing any kind of research at all to see where my pain was coming from.. was not discussed or thought of by me..I just didnt think of it. If I had I would of asked her to check me out, she should of done that nayway) When she normally said these things, I felt belittled and I shut down. BUT nOW, MY LIFE was at stake. So I tried to show her why I knew those things werent true. I knew what pain was and how to listen to my body. I was NOT stupid! I explained that I had left a crackwhore mom and quit a very bad life of crime and perversion and addictions.. I made a life for myself and my children from age 16, I graduated high school in the top ten, I went on to get my AA and then moved all alone to get my BA.. and I had walked through floods to get the kids to daycare, and worked any shit job i could find, I raised really good kids and I never ever left them, I have lived in my car with my kids for two weeks JUST so we didnt miss any school, and I walked 40 blocks sometimes when my car broke down to college and back rather than risk doing poorly or missing school. I told her how I excelled in every job, I was teachers aid and the next year made a preschool teacher (unheard of for a student) I then taught the incoming students on how to be with the kids and I AM the one who came up with the curriculum after taking a 500 level class..and it was used for the two years I was there. I was trained and became cetified to provide foster care to kids 12 to 21 (though I never took them up on it) The agency pratically begged me to write a proposal so they could open a much needed teen parent home.. I got on at Rape crisis and soon I had the key to the office and the pager for weeks at a time when the rule was no more than 48 hours and it was cuz I outshined and prooved myself to be better than most. Much more. I never had a man taking care of me, and no parents and didnt need friends either. My kids were in every sport, I was room mother. I did special needs child care, I organized city block garage sales, I threw parties for the college housing kids, Those things above were VERY hard for me. I was young, alone, mom of three, poor and obese. I told her that I bust my ass everyday, I have been for a long time. I told her that I dont feel happy unless I am exhausted and feeling my efforts and find it unsettling to lay around and relax. I told her I am not affraid of pain. I kinda thrived on it. I told her that I go 100% almost every day and it barely covers the basics. She snorted at that. Didnt tell her: (I have fallen, passed out and bruised myself at times because its not in me to quit, It makes me feel like shit. So i go too far. I happend to have developed a habit of self abuse. BUT its not abuse if you like it!) I know doctors dont like it when you go on and on (protest too much) BUT I NEEDED her to stop assuming I was some obese lazy loser who didnt know anything. My degree was in psychology. I KNEW plenty. Still she refused.. asking me "what are you doing now" "I HAD TO QUIT SCHOOL cuz of the pain.. I can hardly manage my day" Scoffed.. I tried one more thing.. That IF my pain wasnt really real, that the pain pills wouldnt have that affect.. and if I was depressed and lazy and unmotivated ... HOW and WHY would I suddenly start doing all the things I always did before I got the pain. I would still choose to sit around and be lazy and whine if that was true. She said that narcotics are very powerful drugs that fool the brain and give you a high that can make you do all kinds of things.. I told her I think If that was happeneing I would like do stupid things like druggies do.. BUt I happen to do the things I did before like laundry and the yard and wash the car (things I had stopped doin) She never really heard me and just said what she thought anyway. This was not one appointment. This was many over several months .... I refused to give up. I got the ultram for my cramps once a month and thus I had some to experiment with.. I found out that I never got euphoric, that I only needed like two pills and That they did indeed make me whole again. I saved some to take to camping and BAM, I was doing ALL the camp things I used to love but had to stop cuz of pain. I prooved it to myself over and over that I was NOT lazy and depressed. I made the mistake and told her this and she said I was misusing the pills and she was going to talk to my gyno about that. So here is some back story on the gyno.. this doctor (the cunt) had dicked me around for almost two years.. I had extreme menstral pain and begged for help. Somehow she held me off for that long. I was never gave a pap and she was giving me depo and said I was lucky to get that cuz it did help alittle. ONE day after expelling a ruber chunk the size of a deck of cards, I refused to let her dissmiss me. She threw her hands up and said "GO TO A specialist, THATS all I can tell yOU" She was mocking me.. BUT I DID GO The obgyn specialist, listened to me for half an hour, told me I had some problems to take care of and look into and gave me the ultram for pain. (I have had two ablations and soon to have a hysterectomy) NOW my doctor is threatning to call the obgyn. BUT, I had a nice conversation with the gyno about how my doctor said there were NO pills for menstral releif but anitinflamitories.. The gyno said ultram is used all the time. That I had symptoms of menstral diseases and would need a pap. She realizes I never had one in the two years and she asks me why and I said I didint know.. she explained it was highly irregular and she was shocked. I said my doctor never brought it up until she told me to see a specialist. She was nice to me and wanted to help me. Well the obgyn left practice and I had to turn to my doctor for the pills for my period and she refused, calling them narcotics and NOT for mentral pain. I told her that the obgyn said ultram IS for cramps (used all the time) and that she should doube check. And NOT a narcotic She wasnt saying that she didnt want to give them to me. She was saying that THEY WERE NOT prescribed for cramps. Ummm.. Can she proove it. One of them is wrong. So she faxed the file.. and came in laughing at me that there was NO history of me ever having ultram and that the obgyn had said I was a basket case and needed therapy to get over my fear of a pap smear. I told her I needed to schedule a pap.... and she said she didnt do them. I learned later that basetcase was mY words, and that my doctor had told the obgyn that I had refused paps.. NO I never! I wouldnt refuse, I wasnt that bold. had she told be about them I would of had one. SHe didnt tell me. Plus I found out she DID do paps all along. Well all I had to do is calll the obgyn offices and ask for another obgyn to look in my file and see what I was prescribed and please call it in.. It was done in 10 mimutes.. (she had lied again about not seeing it in the file, he had seen it jut fine) She wasnt happy once I prooved it to her and she had no excuse to deny me.. It was only 15 pills. like 5 aday for 3 days.. I needed them every day.

That is pretty cool!!! Maybe we will be on the same schedule. I go in at 10:15 on the 25th. (I usually pick mid-morning since I live a couple of hours away) -Workinprogress/Icestorm--I too am so ready to be off of mushies. I am not really hungry yet, but I am ready for something with a little texture. Tuna Salad and Chicken Salad are OK for a little bit....but one can only take so much... And, I have stopped losing since I went on mushies. I have not gained any, but the scale is at a stand-still............... Caribear--thank you for the well wishes. I hope you are doing good!

If you keep your carbs to under 10 carbs and drink a ton of water ,you should lose up to 10 pounds in one week. You will get flu like symptoms! Sent from my Nexus 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my surgery 5 hours away from home. Discharged the day of surgery and spent the night in hotel close to surgery center and went home next morning. Doctor wanted us to stop every hour or 2 and walk for 10 min. I really had no problems wouldn't want too but could have rode for another 3 or 4 hours.

Well, tomorrow morning is the big day. I can't believe that it is finally here. I haven't been very nervous today. My Grandma being here probably helped with that. She is very supportive. I have packed my bag for the hospital. I have to get up at 5:15 in the morning. We have to leave here by 6a.m. just in case of traffic or any other delays to be to the hospital by 7:30. I don't know much of what to say... I'm kinda speechless. I think I am in denial about what is really happening. It must be some sort of defense mechanism so I don't freak out. Either that or I've just accepted what is happening and that's that. Either way the next time I post I will have joined the band wagon! Take care everyone!:car: Here are my measurements: 9-18-2007 10-18-2007 weight: 295 BMI: 46 w: 270 BMI: 43 bust: 53 1/2 in bust: 51 1/2in waist: 55 in waist: 50 in hips: 57 in hips: 56 in thigh: 35 in thigh: 33 in calves: 21 in calves: 20 in arms: 17 in arms: 16 1/2in I'll have to figure out next time how to post this so it shows up in columns. Oh well:phanvan

Ha...too cute (and love their names!). One woman I know uses 10# bowling balls as her ticker...can you imagine trying to carry those...oh, yes you can (kids sleeping), but imagine carrying them around all day strapped on your back (how do our bodies handle all that extra weight?!). Good job...love the ah-ha!

Ok, so I'm back from another hospital stay (since Tuesday)...Monday, when I went to the Primary Care DR to get my sore throat checked out he told me it was Thrush...OK..fine. So, then he told me that I needed to get the Pneumonia Vaccine. I asked three times if that was a good idea while I was already TRYING to get better...and he assured me that there would be NO problem. Tuesday at 3 I was in the ER--again. I ended up having a reaction to the vaccine. High fever, chest pain, HUGE lymph nodes under my arm, and cellulitis in my shoulder where they put the injection. Added to that my lower right lung was still "not expanding". ..which can also cause fever, chest pain, tachychardia..etc. They gave me a bag of Vancomycin--not sure I even want to know WHY---but I had a reaction to that too--which caused my arm to be that much more inflamed and SORE!!! Cry cry cry--sob sob--cry! Another CT scan with contrast...more blood cultures and blood work every 6 hours. Sniff Sniff--cry. My husband has been SO incredible--I think I scared him to death. I'm pretty good about pain, pretty matter-of-fact and grit your teeth and do it kind of person--but I cried more in the last two days---my arm was SORER than I can even describe--having someone lightly brush my shoulder would send me into sobs. He was completely in shock of all the crying, and didn't know whether to hurt the people that hurt me or what to do--certainly couldn't hug me!!! :oD Yesterday after my 10 laps around the hospital I called my LapBand surgeon to let them know everything that has been going on. The nurse was SOOO sweet that I cried some more--and then she said words that were sweeter than honey..."if you want and feel hungry--start trying some "soft foods" like refried beans, mashed potatos, scrambled eggs" I was in complete shock...like a prisoner let out on parole early! :crying:) AWESOME!!! Today they finally let me come home...my little girl had made the SWEETEST "Welcome Home Mommy" party---she made EVERYTHING..chocolate cake, banner, carefully colored and snipped up confetti, streamers. SOOO sweet. My sister canceled her flight home on Wednesday and is able to stay until Sunday morning! It is SUCH sweet relief to know that my little girl is relaxed, getting supper, getting baths, and having so much fun thru all of this. I know that all of this is NOT TYPICAL lap band surgery stuff---I was up 20 minutes after recovery walking to the bathroom feeling fine. My LB is something that I think of from time to time but haven't really had a chance to let it sink in that I'm ON THE OTHER SIDE--(Not the other side that I thought I might end up on!) :target:) My scars are hardly showing--I can feel that something is different in my tummy and I am getting excited to think about taking off with diet and excercise!! It's starting to sink in now!!! I can't wait!!

I gained 10 lbs. from the day I was admitted to the next day when I left the hospital. Took awhile for all those fluids they pumped into me to exit my body. As long as your calories are low, and you're following your surgeon's plan, it'll come off soon.

So excited today! Had surgery on 10/23 at 240. I was 207 at Thanksgiving and stayed there until Christmas. I was so frustrated and couldn't believe I had my stomach removed and STILL wasn't losing. In the meantime, I dropped about 1.5 sizes during that month and as I read about what it really means to lose and regain Water weight, I felt a bit better. And now for the amazing part-- after the month long stall, I am now at 195 today! I am down 12 lbs in less than 2 weeks following that long stall! So hang in there and follow your program and you will break through it!

I am sorry you have not lost but as you said you have spent a lot of time sabotaging your self. I wonder how much after care you have done. Have you consistently followed up with a nutritionist and a physiologist. As stated above food addiction is a disease and most of us who have had WLS have issues around food, what we eat, when, how much and we also use food as a coping mechanisms. Honestly is you really want help, you need to begin by holding your self accountable. Fast food, even for your children should never be an option you even consider, we all know what are trigger foods are, and when we convince ourselves we can eat them it is just stinkin' thinkin'. We are addicts, addicts that have been given a tool to help us lose weight but that being said. The losing of the weight is 90% us and only 10% of the tool. So... You need to first forgive your self for failing and just get over it and move forward. The longer you worry about the past you will never move forward. You have your fill, so meet again with the nutritionist and again with the psychologist. Figure out your triggers for not following the rules. Log your food, all of it!! And start being accountable to your self. No one ever told us this was going to be easy, it is a process and it takes some of us longer than others to work through the process. Good luck to you and start using the band for what it was intended and for goodness sake stay away from Arby's and every other fast food restaurant, they are not your friend. Think healthy, good food does taste good and after a while your body will start craving healthy. Best to you.

I'm 10 weeks post op tomorrow and I wouldn't have been able to eat all that......2.5oz of turkey and maybe a bite of Brussel sprouts.... My guess would be you ate a little too much....about a 1/2 cup total is all I can manage.

Thanks everyone! I think I am one of the less aggressive bandsters when it comes to fills. I always give it a few months to see what will happen. I lost 10 lbs after my last fill, which has been more than 3 months ago. But I have lost & gained this same 10 lbs. so much I am about to scream! This is what made me decide to try another fill. So thanks again!! I hope I do reach my sweet spot this time!!! I will let ya'll know in a couple of weeks!

My stats are very close to yours. I have gained 10 pounds in the last two weeks. I also stopped exercising (mostly due to horrific cold and cough) and nibbled my way through Christmas. Have lost 3 pounds, but MUST get back on track. Thanks for your post. It's good to know others struggle at this point (I had lost 105 after 10 months) and can turn things around and get focused again. We have all come too far to give up now.

I like this way of thinking! LOL I did not even think about NOT havin a glass of wine! About the weekend after my 1st fill I went to my girlfriends in Tampa, FL and she offered me a glass of wine, I drank it, and about 10 min later, girl I was DRUNK! I had only 3 oz too! It had all absorbed in the upper part of my new small tummy and I was reeling, had to go lay down! Did not want wine again until about 5 months later and only drank a small amount again and did a little better this time, but woah it gets me! Loved your post about the cake, my thing is salted peanuts, they are LOOOOAAAADED with carbs and my downfall!

Hi! I had my surgery on 10/25/12 at Magee in Pittsburgh.

Wow. funny. I've been kind of sort of wondering the same thing. I was sleeved 01/30/13. Some days I can eat 600 calories and some days (like yesterday) it takes me forever to drink a protein shake. Yesterday I barely got in 300 calories. I do notice that I can eat more on the days I exercise. I also read on here somewhere that drinking while eating (which I know we are not supposed to do) helps digest the food in our stomach faster so we can eat more. I haven't drank with my meals, but there have been times when I didn't leave 30 minutes before and after and I definitely noticed I could eat more. It is really weird. I just started on soft foods...so that might be the reason why I ate a whole lot less yesterday. I don't know if this is normal, but if it bothers you then definitely talk to your doctor. I have an appointment on March 4th and will bring this up. Keep me posted please!

I was about 10 days post op when I had a minor family emergency. I essentially OVER DID IT and my port site was actually more painful than it was immediately post op. I rested and used cold packs on the area. Note I said "cold packs" such as rice bag that has been in the freezer. Ice bags are great, but if you use Ice don't put it right next to the skin or leave on too long...my opinion cold packs such as rice bags, cherry pit bags etc. are cold enough to give relief without being too cold and uncomfortable or messy. HOPE you feel better SOON!

Howdy, My name's Blue and I've always felt fat even when I was skinny. Back in high school, I weighed 140lbs (I'm 5'7), but I thought I was fat because my two best friends at the time were teeny, tiny. One wore a size 00 (Extra, Extra Small) and the other a 0 (X-Small), whereas I thought I looked like a beached whale in my size 8/10. In addition to self esteem issues, I suffered from untreated OCD most of my life which contributed to my 100lbs weight gain over the last decade. I know the LB is not a magical cure and the hardest part is going to be retraining my brain not to reach for food as a comfort (and not to replace food with another vice like excessive drinking, gambling, shopping, etc). I am fearful of choosing the wrong doctor and the incision getting infected and/or having some weird complication that threatens my life or possibly kills me. HOWEVER, if I continue on the path I am now, then my own body will be my executitioner. Right now, I am in the planning phases. I've been researching online for a LB surgeon in my area so I can get in initial consultation. One of my friends had the procedure done in another state, so I'm thinking about asking who did hers. A little non weight stuff about me - I'm 29 years old, a classroom teacher, and the wife of an amazing man. I'm kind of artsy-fartsy and though I can't draw very well, I appreciate art and enjoy seeing it in books, museums and exihibits. I'm always reading and want to publish a novel someday soon. I listen to a varity of music (rock and roll, alternative, punk, classical, New Age, pop, etc). I watch more t.v. than I should, am a Christian who believes heavily in karma and good vibes and I like going to the movies, dinner, road trips and shopping.

WOOP WOOP..EXCITED :-):-):-)

Please speak to your doctor concerning the adverse effects that narcotic (at home) pain meds can have on you. Was banded 10 days ago and when I went for my one week post op had not gone to the bathroom. I guess in all of the excitement of finally being on the road to better health I overlooked the fact that I had not had a bowel movement since the day before surgery. No one ever mentioned to me that the medicine used during surgery and the viacodin/hydrocodone that was sent home with me could cause constipation. Believe me, it can and it does. So before surgery discuss w/ your surgeon what type of OTC meds you can use and when is a good time to start using them. I'd venture to guess that if I had realized the situation I was about to be in I would have started Miralax or Milk of Magnesia (acceptable to my doctor) on day 2 or 3. The pain that is associated with the introduction of gas during your surgery will be 10x worse if you can't go to the bathroom. Just something to put out there so that hopefully no one else has to deal with it. Renee'

Is anyone struggling with family members. I am struggling with family watching me eat and making comments. Saying things like: "Should you be eating that?", "Aren't you supposed to eat the protein first?", "Wow can you have that?", "That is just a poor choice.", and my personal favorite, "If you eat like that you will gain 10 pounds before your first fill!" I was banded on 6/19. I lost 30# pre-op and 15# post. I have lost 8.5 inches post-op. I am supposed to have my first fill next week. I know that my family loves me, but how do you get them to realize you are the one in control. In a nice way. I wouldn't hurt them for the world and I know that they are just worried and concerned, but I need some breathing room. Just wondering if anyone else has been through this and did it go away as you progressed. I am hoping that when my family sees how well I am doing and that I am succeeding they will back off. Comments....Questions....

Over the last several months, I have gained six pounds. You would not think that would be a big deal but my body can feel it. I wake up exhausted and I struggle through the day. This past week I have been thinking about why I can’t seem to continue my weight loss. I am happy that I have lost over 100 pounds, but I have another 50 to lose. By the early part of this year I stopped losing weight. That was a little frustrating but I kept it in perspective. I told myself that I have been very successful thus far and I should be proud of what I have accomplished. Reluctantly, I stopped trying to lose weight and have done a decent job of maintaining it. It’s been about nine months and I’ve been thinking that I need to get back to losing the last bit of weight. If I don’t, my fear is that I will let myself go and end up right back where I started. I know that losing the weight will be a dramatic change for me and will make me healthier and give me more energy. But there is a fear inside of me that is stopping me from moving forward. This is the same fear that took me up to 330 pounds and would not allow me to lose that weight for over 10 years. I lost the weight but I did not conquer the fear. The only way I was able to lose the weight was by getting surgery to have 85% of my stomach removed so that I would be physically unable to eat. When you think about it, it sounds rather barbaric. I’ve been trying to figure out what the fear is so that I can face it. It is a fear of success or is it a fear of losing pleasure or is it just an addiction? Before my surgery, I used to think I had a fear of success because I was emotionally comfortable being overweight and didn’t know how I would act or react to being “thin”. I think this is partly why I have been content at my new weight. I’ve lost a significant amount of weight; enough to make the surgery a “success”. I went from a Body Mass Index of 56% to 36.8%. While it is an impressive drop, a BMI of 36.8% is not thin. I have gone from super morbidly obese to just obese. I remain emotionally comfortable in my weight because I still consider myself fat. While a small part of me feels flattered, mostly it makes me feel self-conscious and uncomfortable when I am complimented on my weight loss or the way I look. A person giving me a compliment is a foreign concept and I often do not know how to process what they are saying. Outwardly, I smile and say “Thank you” but inside it feels as if I am holding a dead bird in my hand that I don’t know what to do with. Am I afraid of holding on to too many dead birds? The other part of the problem of course is more complicated; it is the food addiction. Food is pleasurable. The act of eating is pleasurable. I like pleasure and use it as an escape from myself and my stress. Lately, work has been very stressful and I have not been able to control myself when it comes to eating. The sad thing is, I know what I am doing and I continue to do it. The sad thing is, the food does not reduce the stress but I keep eating.

To me, the bmi thing is a no go. Those charts are from 40 years ago. People were smaller and shorter. My sister and I are very similar in build and composition, but I was fat, she has always been skinny. At 5'3 she was 102lbs. She looked skeletal. She couldn't get pregnant because she didn't have enough body fat for her hormones. She had to GAIN 20lbs, by doctors orders, to get pregnant and stay pregnant. I know I will never see 102 or 122 for that matter. I am aiming for a size 8/10. Whatever weight that is, is my goal. I stated 160 on my ticker, because at one point I was a 10 and was 170. Where does that put me on the bmi scale? I don't know and don't care. To me it's a feeling, of being healthy and happy and looking good in my clothes. Considering now that most of the world's average is a size 14, I will be happy with an 8/10. I'm a 16/18 right now. I looked at my ticker tonight, holy crap, I'm almost half way there!!!

Support meeting --December 18, 2010. 10:00 a.m. Come one, come all. We miss you. This is the last one for this year. Merry Christmas everyone.