banded, banding, bands--verb--To assemble or unite in a group

[Humming Bird 275]

It's great to hear from you Jacki,

I think the goal adjustment sounds fine. It really depends on how you carry your weight. I look/feel best from the middle to the high range in a normal BMI. I have been toward the low end of normal in my life and looked too thin. I think you can find a 5 pound range you will feel good at and maintain. You Don't have far to go now! Yah for you! I'm glad the scale is moving again for you.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Happy Thanksgiving bandsters! And it is definitely *happy* for me. As you know I had been tossing over the idea of doing a sleeve revision because I didn't feel my band was working. I was still always hungry. Well, a week without a band taught me differently. I had forgotten that prior to the band I was dealing with this constant ravenous hunger that even, minutes after eating and with a stuffed belly, was not assuaged. The week without a fill was a very nasty reminder...but one I needed and thank God I found this out before getting the VS done! What I 'thought' was hunger was most likely blood sugar swings, so now that I know the difference, I will know how to proceed.

Despite the pain I'm back in, I do not regret going in to get my fill back this past Tuesday. Almost immediately that intense hunger abated even though I'm only at 6cc...where I was in July when I had that unfill. Oh, I still had a bit of hunger, but normal since I had eaten almost 5 hours before and it was coming up on lunch time. Since my fill I have not only been blessedly free of hunger but without even the desire to eat!

This has been a long year and a hard lesson, but one I needed. I always did have to learn the hard way...through experience.

Anyway, I am thankful for all of you and thankful for my band! Despite the pain until they can fix it (hopefully the first or second week of December), it is going to make the difference between maintain/losing and gaining 20 lbs!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Melody

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[Cocoabean 430]

Jackie great to hear from you! Welcome back.

Elfie, wow, you've been on the roller coaster, woman! Was very surprised to read you got a fill. You have used this whole experience as an education about yourself, that is very inspiring. You could have curled up and given up, but you didn't. Way to go!

Is the pain the same with or without the fill? Is it better with the refill than before? I am curious if the band might have moved around a bit without the fill and the pain has improved a little bit....a sign that the exploratory surgery will help.

Warning....I need to vent!

As for me...I had an excellent object lesson as to why I did not tell my MIL about my surgery. We had our T-day with the Fam on Sunday. MIL has been sick again and DH took her to the nurse practitioner last week. MIL is almost deaf and very hard to tallk to. So, needed SOMETHING to say, DH told her that this NP was the one who lanced a boil on my butt nearly a year and a half ago (thanks, Hun). So, on Sunday, we got there early. DH's brother was the only other one there. DH sat down to talk with Bro. 95 year old sick MIL insisted on cooking the meal--so that left me to go into the kitchen to try to help (not that she will accept it). Anywho...we sat down for a few minutes and she proceeds to ask me all about my butt! Wanted all the details! I am like, uh, it was a year and a half ago, she lanced it, I am fine. Mom says, why did you get it? Will it come back? What causes those? Can they kill you?

OMG!!! This is the woman who would not ask someone else to cook the stupid turkey because she has bronchitis and feels like crap. Won't tell anyone she feels so bad she can barely breathe. When SIL took her to the ER last time she was so sick with the cough, the doctor asked her what brought her in, she said, "oh, I just feel yucky." Great diagnostic help there, Ma. She's pissed at the medical community because they won't make her feel like she did 50 years ago. They, "don't know what's wrong with me." She doesn't want to take the medications they prescribe, because she's never had to take them before and they are why she feels so bad. A response of, "you are nearly 95 years old" is unacceptable. Well, if you won't tell them what you are feeling, they can't help you. If you won't take your medications, it can't help you. And I am sorry, but the fact that you will turn 95 years old on Saturday is acceptable. You are NOT going to feel like you did 50 years ago!! You won't wear your hearing aids, people are going to get frustrated with you continually saying, "pardon?" DH took her to the hearing doc the other day, they fixed her aid and cleaned her ears. She said it was much better. So, yesterday he gets a call from his Aunt that she had called Mom and was worried because she couldn't get ahold of her. So DH calls, gets her on the line. After 5 minutes of screaming, she says she can hear better, but can't make out the works..oh well. Then she said "today is the worst day yet." DH asks if she meant the cough. No, the cough was OK. Are you tired? No, not tired. So he asks what she meant, she says...you know, just yuck. Great.

Most likely it is the anemia hitting again. She was so pale on Sunday.

After the turkey was out of the oven, she went to bed. Yeah, it was a great day.

The turkey was underdone. She's been cooking them for 80 years, and she asked me what temperature it should be cooked to....I dunno, I cook chickens for Thanksgiving! So she said well the food network said it should be cooked to 161 degrees. Yes, that is one hundred sixty ONE. Why one? I don't know! She had the thermometer stuffed I don't know where. So I put it in the thigh.

Well, come to find out, most websites say cook it to 165, Butterball says 180. We took it out at 160. At least the breast meat was done. The drumsticks and thigh meat, not so much. I could hardly get it off the bone. I can't eat breast meat. I put one bite of thigh in my mouth, bit down, it was like rubber. Spit that baby out!

SIL made potatoes, used her kitchenaid to whip them, but somehow they came out lumpy. MIL puts olives in her stuffing, I hate olives, but everyone else loves it. So, I had a meal of corn souffle, lima Beans, and cocktail weenies. I've never come home hungry from T-day dinner before. Especially since being banded. But it happened Sunday!

[ElfiePoo 109]

Is the pain the same with or without the fill? Is it better with the refill than before? I am curious if the band might have moved around a bit without the fill and the pain has improved a little bit....a sign that the exploratory surgery will help.

Since the fill, the pain is worse. We went to see 'Tangled' at the movies yesterday and I ended up going to the back of the theatre and standing since the seats put me at the wrong angle (couldn't sit up straight).

Cross your fingers because if they can't easily see the problem, it means I'm stuck with the pain if I want to keep the band, and after this last week, OMG I just can't go back to that kind of hunger again! It's how I got to 330 lb!

Melody

[ElfiePoo 109]

So, like, that means your Thanksgiving dinner today can only be better? <g> Unfortunately, as people get older, they tend to get a little harder to deal with. My mother-in-law turned 81 this year and she is the nicest, sweetest woman...but I've seen little changes in her and know that over the next decade or so she'll probably become more cantankerous and stubborn as time goes on. We just need to keep reminding ourselves that their time is growing short and just enjoy them the best we can.

Just FYI...I do an olive oil and herb paste and rub it under the breast skin and over the skin. Put it on a rack in a shallow pan (about 1" deep), pour 3/4 cup white wine into the pan and bake at 500 for 30 minutes. Then I cover the breast with foil and bake it at 350 deg for about 9 minutes per pound (roughly). When the thermometer in the deepest part of the meat registers 161 deg. F, I take it out of the oven and move the rack to another cookie sheet and then cover the turkey with a big bowl. It stays there while I make the gravy and do the last minute stuff. It was cooked perfectly!

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[Cocoabean 430]

Oh, how was Tangled? Previews looked good.

Sorry to hear the pain is back. I do hope they find the problem with the surgery.

Yes, dinner today will be yummy! Doing a chicken for us with all the trimmings! Many years ago my mom (rest her soul) gave me her Betty Crocker cook book. I made the stuffing recipe. It came out just like my mothers! I told my mom, she says...where do you think I got the recipe???

My MIL is as sweet as can be, but soooo frustrating. It's like dealing with a child, not an adult. Not too long ago I told her that if she doesn't want to take her medication, don't take it. But also don't go back to the doctor asking for help, because they cannot help you if you refuse medication. Death won't be as painless without medical help.

Last week they diagnosed COPD. So now she has an inhaler, which she doesn't want to use, either. They gave her an antibiotic for this round of bronchitis. DH got it filled and took it to her. It was about 11:45am when he got back to her house. It is once per day dosing. He says, Ok, so you can take this one at noon every day, and writes it on the bottle, then hands her one. She says, "Oh, then I don't have to take it now." Then she pushes it away! So, he made her take it.

But damn. I mean, if you don't want medical help, I understand. You are 95, maybe you are done with it all. That's great. But don't go to the doctor. I certainly can't say she is a complainer, because she isn't. But I truly believe that she is afraid that when she dies, the family will not come together any more. Which is probably true. It is the way of families that as generations die they split off and form their own families. She has one daughter (62 years old) who lives in a second house on her lot, was rent free until FIL died, now she "pays when she can." We are talking $250.00 a month for a one bedroom single family home in San Diego. Normal rent would be about $1200-1500 for that. Which we suspect is hardly ever. Well SIL went to MIL complaining because BIL said that she could not stay in the house after MIL passed away. Yeah? And? The property is to be sold....what did SIL and MIL think was going to happen? Besides SIL can stay there..if new owner is willing to take her on as tenant and she pays full rent, EACH month. Then MIL starts looking at sibblings to take SIL in. Nah, sorry, just because you are an enabler and co-dependent with her, doesn't mean we are. It is her problem. She's stolen rent from you for 46 years. Let her figure it out.

MIL asked DH who would take over Christmases when she is gone. She forces everyone (4 generations) to gather at her house on Christmas day for gifts and a meal. She thinks she can create the "magic" for her children, the youngest of which is my DH at 56. He was honest and said no one would. Her grandchildren will be able to start their own traditions and her great-grandchildren can have Christmas mornings at their own home with their toys as they want. The GGCs are aged 18-3, and one more was born yesterday. But she selfishly wants everyone at her house for the entire day. I mean, what 4-6 year old wants to go to their great-grandmother's house when they have fresh Santa brought toys at home? She can't see that, never could.

One year we decided to go to Florida for Christmas to be with my sister who has a severe case of Lupus. I never know from year to year if she will be around. DH and I were both air traffic controllers at the time and we got lucky enough to both be able to get a week off at Christmas. So we decided to go back. We'd spent the previous 15 at Mom's house. When we told her, she was so angry with me for opting not to be there! She tells me, DON'T let it happen again. Yeah, well, I'll let it happen as many times as I want/can. It was the last year my sister's children were all at home before college. It was a great Christmas. I refuse to feel guilty, thank-you-very-much!

Ok, rant over for now!

I am thankful for my DH, love him to pieces. And for my dog, Butters, who is sitting next to me with loving eyes.

[ElfiePoo 109]

I don't know what to tell you, but I do sympathize. My family puts the 'whack job' in 'dysfunctional'.

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[ElfiePoo 109]

Good morning everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful time with family...and didn't manage to overdo it with the wrong foods. Since my refill I haven't felt much like eating but did have a small slice of turkey, and a small bit of squash and mashed potatoes. Finished it off with a very small piece of pecan pie and coffee. So nice not to walk away from the table groaning from an overfull tummy.

Today is my traditional start of the Christmas season. Since I do not leave the house on Black Friday unless someone is bleeding...and then it has to be something a butterfly bandage won't fix...I spend the day just 'puttering'. Today I plan on doing my online Christmas shopping while getting myself into the 'mood' with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and a few other oldies but goodies. The only difference between this year and past years is...no Cookies and no eggnog (490 calories in a glass??!) while doing so. Normally I put up my Christmas tree, but haven't decided what to do about the demon kitty who would, without hesitation, take it down...and I think I'd cry if he destroyed any of the ornaments I've collected over the years.

On with the holiday season!

Melody

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[LeighaMason 19]

:DHappy after-thanksgiving everyone!

Well we spent the night before thanksgiving camping at the deer lease, luckily it was 75 degrees and quite comfortable. I made a venison potato recipe on the campfire and then proceeded to get stuck on it. Then one of the guys on the lease who's wife has a band, spent the next 30 min. following me around and trying to tell me how to get unstuck. Sweet but please just leave me alone when I am in pain. Then when we went to bed I got stung on the hand by a wasp. Maybe I should just stay home next time....

My husbands sister came for thanksgiving. She comes in while I am finishing up the dinner and puts her stuff that she brought on the table and goes to sit in the living room with the kids. So about 30 minutes later, I tell everyone dinner is ready and she comes rushing in the kitchen and says "Oh I need to put the green bean casserole in the oven, it needs to bake for 45 min." and then wants everyone to not eat until its ready. (She hadn't told me she was bringing it so I had already made one because that is a favorite of my oldest stepdaughter.) So Rob tells her, we already have one made and dinner is on the table so lets eat and she gets mad and pouts, if she would have put it in the oven when she got there it would have almost been ready but instead she just dumped it on the table and expected me to find it and cook it for her.

Yesterday was also my son's 16th birthday, he always has thanksgiving lunch with his dad and then comes to my house where we have an evening meal (Rob's kids do the same with their mom.) But this year Mason had a football playoff game, it was at 6 in a town that is about an hour away so he had to be at the school at 2. So this was the first year that I didn't get to spend thanksgiving (or his birthday) with my son, a sure sign that he is growing up. But he when I talked to him on the phone he said he wanted me to make another dinner this weekend because he likes what I make every year and wanted us to have a thanksgiving together too. I went to the game and a cold front had come through so it was cold and raining but I got to see my stepson and his wife that were in town from Chicago, it was a close game but they lost. I got home about 10 last night and after the camping trip, cooking dinner, and the football game trip I was exhausted. I am looking forward to a slow day at work today and then having 2 days off.

I also forgot to serve the homemade cranberry sauce that I spent the previous Sunday canning. :opps:

And after all the crap I ate yesterday I am not about to get on the scales.

[Cocoabean 430]

Leigha, you'd think a fellow bandster would know to leave you in peace, right? She probably felt like she'd found a kindred spirit. At least your day was memorable!

I got stuck the other night. We had lasagna, which is always dicey for me. The odd thing was that while I was sliming, I got extremely nauseous. That doesn't normally happen when I am stuck. So, up it all came. Then yesterday, the back end exploded.

I am blaming it on the underdone turkey at MIL's.

Elfie, I had egg nog yesterday. All 8 bagillion calories. Yummy. Gave me a whopping headache, as almost any alcohol does these days.

Our chicken came out excellent! Yay!

[shadst8 8]

Wow Denise sorry about your MIL. Dealing with the elderly is nerve wrecking as I discovered from taking care of my mother.

[ElfiePoo 109]

If I get nauseous while sliming, I know I'm good and stuck and it's not going to move without some effort on my part. Most times I can just wait it out...but not when the nausea strikes.

.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Leigha...today is the day you're fixing Thanksgiving dinner for your son? Don't forget the cranberry sauce!

[ElfiePoo 109]

Up since 5 a.m. Figured I might as well get up and accomplish something instead of thrashing about from the pain in my arm.

I managed to make a pot of coffee, read e-mail and get breakfast...all in 3-1/2 hours. Apparently I'm not very ambitious this morning.

I did go out to Best Buy yesterday afternoon and the crowds weren't too bad. I've been wanting to get 'Just Dance 2' for the Wii and I thought, "what better time". A better time would've been never. I don't think I'm coordinated enough for this but I'm going to work on it every day...maybe just one or two songs to learn the moves. It's definitely better than going out and walking in this bitter cold!

Well, off for morning coffee at my mother-in-law's...have a good day!

.

[ElfiePoo 109]

I was so tired this morning that I forgot to say that I stepped on my scale this morning and I'm down 5 lbs! I was pretty surprised because I was merely hoping to maintain. Now let's hope this is permanent. Since I haven't had any bad days since getting my fill back on Tuesday, I'm confident this is a permanent dip downwards. There should be some rewards for being good even on thanksgiving!

Now, back to the football game. Ohio State is kicking the pants off Univ. of Michigan...almost too painful to watch.

Melody