2011 - banded, banding, bands--verb--To assemble or unite in a group

[Cocoabean 430]

Stacie, I was just thinking of you on my drive into work today. Good to see you!

Yes, my life is a true soap opera right now! A friend said I should write a book about the shenanigans of family on the way to Hawaii.

So DH last night -- while I was eating my dinner (we were having pork chops, so I was eating slowly) says, what are you doing? Eating each pea one at a time? Damn, it's taking you forever?!?!?

Uhmmmm......you know I have to eat slowly. You know when I eat drier meats I eat even MORE slowly. I got started eating a tad late because like a dork I had forgotten I started a load of laundry after work and needed to get it into the dryer. And YOU ARE BEING A JERK!!!

Ok, none of which I said, because I am being a supportive wife. But I really did want to smack him. Instead I tossed what was left on my plate, did the dishes, put away the laundry, and went to bed. The weenie.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Stacey,

Good to hear from you! Get that gallbladder taken care of! Gallbladder surgery is nothing like it used to be. My mom had hers out decades ago and she has this huge incision down her belly. My aunt had hers about 15 years ago and she only had 2 small incisions (similar to our band surgery incisions). My daughter-in-law had hers done a few years back and they took hers out with a small incision in the belly button! Recovery time is now only about a week or two versus the 3 months when my mom had hers done. Definitely worth it rather than dealing with all that pain!

[shadst8 8]

Hey Stacie--welcome back. Ditto with Elfie said--I had mine taken through the belly button--1 day in hospital--back up about a week later!

Denise--you are absolutely doing the right thing--sometimes people need to experience how wrong they are! Enjoy Hawaii

Went back to doc yesterday. He put back 6cc's. Thank goodness. I drank a shake and I didn't feel terribly hungry. I had 7cc's in before port revision--he is not putting that 1cc back until May! He said if I get hungry before then, call immediately for an appointment. I was thinking you bet I will. I am thinking of starting an Easter Challenge, but has anyone seen one already on the boards?

[ElfiePoo 109]

Please forgive the long vent. I'm frustrated, angry and ready to just throw in the towel at this moment.

I just had my son get on the scale because I was sure there was something wrong with it but his weight is the same as it has been for the last several weeks. Mine, however, says I've gained 7 lbs since yesterday!

C'mon...I know my Water weight fluctuates a lot but this is ridiculous and when I look back at my Fitday, I didn't eat anything that would result in my holding Fluid today! Tuesday and Wednesday was mostly Protein drinks...about 800 calories each day...because my band tightened. Thursday was about 900 calories but I was able to eat a salad with some grilled chicken in it. On Friday I started eating like I was prior to my band tightening except I've cut back on the fat (no bacon), less butter, etc. and my calories are coming in at around 800.

When I look back at my Fitday, the week prior to this was around 1000 calories. I hadn't been paying much attention to that daily total since I eat pretty much the same every day but for some reason after my last fill I started eating less fats so my daily calories went from 1200 to around 1000.

I really don't know what to do. I've already had the discussion with my regular doctor and we've already done all the blood work for hormones, thyroid, etc. and it's all fine. Yes I'm soon to be 55 but I'm not even perimenopausal yet. All my lab work is 'normal'. I don't even want to go in to see her anymore because I can tell she thinks I must be cheating on my diet...that I should be losing more than a lb a week on 1200 calories and an hour of cardio every day. How can I argue...I think I should be too since it's half of what I used to eat and I never exercised at all before. Oh, and I'm not building muscle.

What's she going to say when she sees I'm gaining??? I'm sitting here so depressed and in tears. I've never worked harder at losing weight and I'm gaining!!!??? At this point I have to say I'm feeling so defeated and just...weary.

.

[Humming Bird 275]

Melody, so sorry this crap is going on. I agree, the weight should be coming off with all you are doing and it just doesn't seem right. With this last gain are your ankles swollen? Of course I'm no doc, but it sure sounds like you are retaining Water. Maybe a dieuretic / water pill would help you? ( the OTC ones don't work well, Rx would be better) just a thought.......

[shadst8 8]

Please forgive the long vent. I'm frustrated, angry and ready to just throw in the towel at this moment.

I just had my son get on the scale because I was sure there was something wrong with it but his weight is the same as it has been for the last several weeks. Mine, however, says I've gained 7 lbs since yesterday!

C'mon...I know my Water weight fluctuates a lot but this is ridiculous and when I look back at my Fitday, I didn't eat anything that would result in my holding Fluid today! Tuesday and Wednesday was mostly Protein drinks...about 800 calories each day...because my band tightened. Thursday was about 900 calories but I was able to eat a salad with some grilled chicken in it. On Friday I started eating like I was prior to my band tightening except I've cut back on the fat (no bacon), less butter, etc. and my calories are coming in at around 800.

When I look back at my Fitday, the week prior to this was around 1000 calories. I hadn't been paying much attention to that daily total since I eat pretty much the same every day but for some reason after my last fill I started eating less fats so my daily calories went from 1200 to around 1000.

I really don't know what to do. I've already had the discussion with my regular doctor and we've already done all the blood work for hormones, thyroid, etc. and it's all fine. Yes I'm soon to be 55 but I'm not even perimenopausal yet. All my lab work is 'normal'. I don't even want to go in to see her anymore because I can tell she thinks I must be cheating on my diet...that I should be losing more than a lb a week on 1200 calories and an hour of cardio every day. How can I argue...I think I should be too since it's half of what I used to eat and I never exercised at all before. Oh, and I'm not building muscle.

What's she going to say when she sees I'm gaining??? I'm sitting here so depressed and in tears. I've never worked harder at losing weight and I'm gaining!!!??? At this point I have to say I'm feeling so defeated and just...weary.

.

Since I gained 15 in 3 days, two weeks ago, I can concur with maybe it being water gain. My doctor upped the the diuretic part of my blood pressure med which did help some. Hang in there--what you have accomplished so far is amazing--hugs.:huggie: I was thinking maybe sometimes you need a break from weight loss, journaling, tracking, etc and just focus on the other aspects of your life and to protect your mental health from going down from taking care of your physical health?

I am sure it is water gain. Do not let it throw you off track!!

[Cocoabean 430]

Melody, the gain and your band tightening happended at the same time. They MUST be related. You are retaining so much Fluid that it has affected your stomach tissues, also.

Can you look back at the other times your band got tight and see if you had a significant gain at that time? 7 lbs overnight is NOT fat. I know you know that, but it bears repeating.

Hang in there!

[elcee 3,343]

Melody as all the others have said you KNOW this is not weight - it has to be Fluid retention. You cannot gain 7lb of fat in one day. This is one of the reasons that most Dr's recommend a weekly rather than a daily weigh in. It is normal for fluid etc to vary from day to day so a weekly weigh in gives a truer result. Of course for most of lapbanders that doesn't work as we tend to be obsessed with the scale.< /p>

I would suggest that you keep eating the way that you have been but relax a little. Weigh weekly, don't log every calorie and enjoy life. Do not base how you are feeling on a number on a scale. Think of all the NSVs instead. How much better you are feeling, how much your health has improved etc.If you do this for a couple of weeks and your weight stays stable or drops that is great. It may be hard but sometimes we hit plateaus and they can go on for far longer than they should. The main thing is that you are not gaining and you stick to doing all the things that you know you should be doing. If your weight starts going up week on week then I would go back to the Dr and scream for help.There has to be some reason. You probably are perimenopausal even if you don't realise it and female hormones are a curse - the guys don't realise how good they have got it.

Chin up it will get better.

Glad that your son is OK - I was concerned that the problem was more serious.

I am still stressing about mine and will be until after 29th March which is when he has the procedure.

Our weekend away was great but not long enough. The only problem I have with going to that area is I always want to buy a holiday house there. Just a little one - happy for it to be old so I can do it up but the sad news is I haven't won the lottery yet. I suppose it is good to dream though isn't it?

Denise sorry to hear about all the dramas. You have done your best and if the others want to do things differently you can't force them. I think you should relax and enjoy your cruise. Can't believe that after 3 years your hubby would make a comment like that about eating so slowly. Men are a bit dim sometimes aren't they?

Bob if you are reading this my apologies. We are missing you - you need to come back to add some balance. Don't know if the rest of you have seen it but his new profile pic on FB looks Fab.

[chickadee81 0]

Melody-(((((HUGS))))) I agree with everyone that it has to be Fluid retention. Especially compounded with the tightening band. You are retaining so much that it is even constricting your band. Try a diuretic and drink lots of Water to flush your system. I wish we could all not obsess so much over weight and numbers. I think I can finally honestly admit that I don't think I will ever be "happy" with how I look. I can say that I want to weigh 130, but even if I get there, I bet I will still not love what I see when I look in the mirror. Granted, I am liking it much better now than 1 year ago, but looking back even when I was a twig I didn't love myself. That's what I need to focus on.

[Derby 2]

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I was away last week... Took a week off of work to go visit my family. My mom finally retired and my oldest brother was visiting from Boston. It's the first time I've seen my brother since we almost lost him after a massive heart attack last year ( he was given a 2%. chance of survival...glad he's stubborn). I'm still pretty tight after my last fill and still learning how to eat again! Still losing so I won't complain!

I hope you are all hanging in there. Your posts and encouragement keep me going when I'm frustrated.

Deb

[Derby 2]

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I was away last week... Took a week off of work to go visit my family. My mom finally retired and my oldest brother was visiting from Boston. It's the first time I've seen my brother since we almost lost him after a massive heart attack last year ( he was given a 2%. chance of survival...glad he's stubborn). I'm still pretty tight after my last fill and still learning how to eat again! Still losing so I won't complain!

I hope you are all hanging in there. Your posts and encouragement keep me going when I'm frustrated.

Deb

[ElfiePoo 109]

It just keeps getting better...not.

I had an 8 a.m. appointment with my surgeon this morning and it looks like I'm headed back into surgery. The pain in my arm has gotten to the point that I just can't take it anymore. Since lying down causes the pain to start full force, I've been sleeping in a recliner. The pain is still there, but less so at that angle. I can't sit in the passenger seat of a car because within minutes I'm in intense pain. The range of motion in my left arm is impaired because I can't put my hand behind my hip, lift my elbow up to shoulder height or lift anything heavy enough that causes me to tense my chest because that apparently puts my band in contact with my diaphragm causing me severe pain. Since I'm sitting and lying in ways to prevent the pain, I now have muscle pain in my neck and shoulders causing almost constant headaches. We were supposed to go visit my son and dil in Florida next month, but I can't sit in a plane that long because of the pain.

My surgeon's advice was to do an exploratory and see if they can find where it's rubbing and fix it. Worse case scenario is that they would remove the band if they can't solve the problem. The only question then is whether or not to just remove it and close me up...or remove it and do a sleeve revision...and while I need to take care of this soon because of the pain, I'm just not sure I'm ready to commit to doing the sleeve.

This was supposed to be so simple.

.

[Derby 2]

Sorry that posted twice...

Deb

[Cocoabean 430]

Yay Deb! Seeing family is always good. Glad you are losing. Take it slow and easy as you get used to your band's new rules!

Melody, my 2 cents. Without any form of WLS, you know what will happen. You do. I do. We all do. Else we would not be here working our bands. I'd not hesitate to revise to another procedure now that I've "been to "Paris" as it were. I don't want to go back to the land of high blood pressure, the road to diabetes, heart disease, and not liking my body. Talk, talk, talk to your surgeon. If he has to remove the band, and he can revise during the same operation, why not? Why risk two surgeries?

But, if you revise and leave us here at LBT, as Jim Carrey would say in the Grinch, "I'll hunt you down and gut you like a fish!"

[shadst8 8]

Yay Deb! Seeing family is always good. Glad you are losing. Take it slow and easy as you get used to your band's new rules!

Melody, my 2 cents. Without any form of WLS, you know what will happen. You do. I do. We all do. Else we would not be here working our bands. I'd not hesitate to revise to another procedure now that I've "been to "Paris" as it were. I don't want to go back to the land of high blood pressure, the road to diabetes, heart disease, and not liking my body. Talk, talk, talk to your surgeon. If he has to remove the band, and he can revise during the same operation, why not? Why risk two surgeries?

But, if you revise and leave us here at LBT, as Jim Carrey would say in the Grinch, "I'll hunt you down and gut you like a fish!"

Lol. Seriously I agree with Denise, when I look back all the problems I could have, if I had to get a sleeve, I would. I know it's scary, but we promise to still be your friend and are here to support you even if you become a sleevster? Not sure what they call those with sleeves?