I'm here to help...

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Hey gang, Just checking in. Everything is going really well right now. I am getting a little bit of a rest from all the school work. Getting ready for it to kick back up again though. My grades are pretty good. I am usually above average compared to the rest of the class. I can't wait for this semester to end. It is the most difficult of them all. Atleast that's what the professors say. I think it's because we are trying to balance 4 classes. Next semester will be differnt. I just can't believe I have come this far. If I woke up tommorrow and had to drop out I would still be very proud for making it to this point.

Had a fill tuesday. Lost another 5 pounds in the last 3 weeks. The doc is happy with my progress as far as weight goes. He just thinks my mentality is screwed up. How do you build self esteem for yourself? I don't really know how to stop feeling the way I feel. How is it my classmates describe me as "happy all the time" and yet my doc can see right through it. Don't know but I got alot to think about. That new therapist I tried awhile back was horrible. My hubby even tried her out and agrees with me. So I quit going. I really miss my old one. She left town though I am considering driving out to see her. Maybe if my surgeon had seen how bad off I was 3 years ago he would understand the progress I have made.

Jake is doing great on the new dose of adderall. No more complaints from school. We are talking with a therapist about that too.

Miss yall.

Jessica, I take it you agree with your Doc. When working with others your bubbly side comes out. It's not fake. It's really you in that situation. But there's another side. And your doc sees it. Many of us are like that. I am an outwardly "bubbly" person, upbeat and optimistic. I am passionate about my work and I love children. But I'm also very private. I have a very sober side. I am very private about many of my deepest feelings, self-doubts, and fears. Generally I fake it till I make it. I act competent to feel competent, act happy to feel happy, etc. I pick and choose to whom I will self-reveal. I don't trust many people for fully opening up to. Most aren't trustworthy. They simply can't handle it. I've had good therapists and not so good. With your mental disorder, a good therapist is essential to your long term health. Keep looking. You may need to try out more than one. Whatever you do, stay on your meds. You're doing better than you've ever done in your life. I'm very proud of you. You will tackle this challenge like you've tackled everything else. Just think of it as another self-improvement project.

Cheri

Edited November 13, 2010 by ifyourstomachoffendsyou

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Hi all, I went to Floida last week and got a fill. Ever since I have had pain under my left rib cage. The fill is working, I really needed it, had only .8cc in the band, I think it leaks out???? She filled me to 2.2, I def have restriction, maybe for the first time ever...but why does it have to come at such a cost? The pain is terrible, and I can not even take a deep breath. Any suggestions?

Kimberly

It always hurt me, too, when I actually started getting restriction. Gas can cause me that pain. Stick to liquids and mushies and maybe gasx or something until your irritated stomach heals and you lose a few more lbs. That usually took care of it for me.

Cheri

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Jessica, I take it you agree with your Doc. When working with others your bubbly side comes out. It's not fake. It's really you in that situation. But there's another side. And your doc sees it. Many of us are like that. I am an outwardly "bubbly" person, upbeat and optimistic. I am passionate about my work and I love children. But I'm also very private. I have a very sober side. I am very private about many of my deepest feelings, self-doubts, and fears. Generally I fake it till I make it. I act competent to feel competent, act happy to feel happy, etc. I pick and choose to whom I will self-reveal. I don't trust many people for fully opening up to. Most aren't trustworthy. They simply can't handle it. I've had good therapists and not so good. With your mental disorder, a good therapist is essential to your long term health. Keep looking. You may need to try out more than one. Whatever you do, stay on your meds. You're doing better than you've ever done in your life. I'm very proud of you. You will tackle this challenge like you've tackled everything else. Just think of it as another self-improvement project.

Cheri

Jessica, I hadn't read your second post when I posted this. I don't like the fact that he said what he said in front of your son. On the other hand, you know that hubris, which is part of your disease, can lead you into abandoning your meds and falling off the deep end. Your doc may believe that you need direct confrontation to keep you from doing that.

Cheri

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

Arlene, I would be totally exasperated with that PA. The amount of food you can eat, dense Protein, is very high. Two hard boiled eggs would have me in the hospital! That is the sign, more than anything else, that you need a fill. I pbd a couple of days before my last fill. Just plain ate the wrong thing. Still had some restriction in the morning but none at night. i could eat a half lb hamburger at night. Doc used floroscope mid-day on me and told me I was wide open. He choose to make me pretty tight and I had several uncomfortable days but I stuck to my liquids and mushies, lost a few lbs and did great. So now you're in bandster hell again. But you have a plan so stick to it. Lori is right. You've said it yourself. You can't have carbs. Even the good for you carbs trigger you. It's fingernail time, but you've done it before and you can do it again.

Cheri

[txrckcrwlr 0]

GF ditched me for dinner too. Anyway, DH text me and he got an early flight. He is on his way home, but the traffic is awful. I think Houston traffic must be close to being as bad as LA. Chris would probably know.

Yes Houston traffic sucks. LA would be the only place I have seen that is worse. Try driving a rig down there

[Charlene K 1]

Arlene, I would be totally exasperated with that PA. The amount of food you can eat, dense Protein, is very high. Two hard boiled eggs would have me in the hospital! That is the sign, more than anything else, that you need a fill. I pbd a couple of days before my last fill. Just plain ate the wrong thing. Still had some restriction in the morning but none at night. i could eat a half lb hamburger at night. Doc used floroscope mid-day on me and told me I was wide open. He choose to make me pretty tight and I had several uncomfortable days but I stuck to my liquids and mushies, lost a few lbs and did great. So now you're in bandster hell again. But you have a plan so stick to it. Lori is right. You've said it yourself. You can't have carbs. Even the good for you carbs trigger you. It's fingernail time, but you've done it before and you can do it again.

Cheri

I don't think I told you this, but she was running an hour late. The doctor was waiting outside the fluoro room to do a Gi on a woman. That may have been a factor. She took me to another room and talked to me. She knows her stuff. You and Lori are right, I need to cut carbs to survive this next month. Yep, I feel like I am in bandster hell. I can do this!

[Charlene K 1]

GF ditched me for dinner too. Anyway, DH text me and he got an early flight. He is on his way home, but the traffic is awful. I think Houston traffic must be close to being as bad as LA. Chris would probably know.

Yes Houston traffic sucks. LA would be the only place I have seen that is worse. Try driving a rig down there

No Thanks! We had one turn over on 290 the other day and one carrying cars flip too. Those rigs get plenty of warning to slow down on those ramps, but there are always those that are in a hurry. My doctor is at the Sam Houston tollway and I10. So now you know about the traffic I am in if I stay to late over there. I live in Pearland. I would rather go downtown. In fact, Methodist Hospital still has me on their list for support group. I might have to check it out.

Good going on your recovery. My husband had gastric bypass last year. He was in the hospital 23hrs. He didn't have any problems. He has lost 95lbs, but still needs to lose 30 more. It is a struggle now. Good to get it off early.

[Apples2 19]

GF ditched me for dinner too. Anyway, DH text me and he got an early flight. He is on his way home, but the traffic is awful. I think Houston traffic must be close to being as bad as LA. Chris would probably know.

Yes Houston traffic sucks. LA would be the only place I have seen that is worse. Try driving a rig down there

Ummmm....going thru downtown Atlanta during rush hour with a nervous DH and nervous dog in the passenger seat:scared2: measures right up there!

[Apples2 19]

Good Morning...

Going to be hanging in the house today. My guys went off to work in the wind and the cold. We are expecting snow and high winds later today. Looks like it might put a stop to the tiling for now and maybe for the rest of the season. Does not make my men very happy but now fun working and being cold to the bone. DH said this morning that we should have just booked a full 6 months in AZ instead of being pent up in the house looking out the window as it all blows by. The older we get, the less we care for the snow. My whine for the day.

I am working on some crafty/painting projects that I would like to get done this weekend. Relaxing and fun. Only problem I have with it is that my puppa likes to be right by momma while working on it and I have to be extra vigilant about looking for dog hair in my paint. But, he's so willing to help...can't turn him away.

Phyll...sounds like you are as "booked" with your pup as I am. What would we do without them?

Good news...youngest DS is working in his feild once again. He had a great summer working and living at the golf course and was on the fence as to where to look for a job. Well, he applied for the masters program at the university he attended in FL (Embry-Riddle) and will be working on the program online and working in a town 15 miles from here. Will be nice to have him around for awhile as he has lived across the country in one place or another for the last 10 yrs.

He is in LV this week where he flew his new boss out for a conference (he is doing tech work for this guy). He will also be flying for a local doctor and a manufacturing company and flight instructing on the weekend when weather allows. Whew...he found something anyway. I was so concerned that the longer he waited to find a job in his field, the less likely it would be he would find one. This all settles my nerves a bit.

Another deer hunting weekend. The shots have been booming in the air since daylight. Happy when the season is over. Makes me uneasy. In a 40 mile radius just in the last two weeks we have had 1 teenage accidentally shot by his father and still in critical condition, a 62 yr old business man accidentally shot and killed himself and another teen's gun discharged and critically injured himself.

Arlene...keep working at the little or no carbs at this time and work towards getting that fill if that's what you feel you need. We didn't get the band to be hungry all the time and being hungry brings impulsive choices. We're here for you. Hugs.

Making beef stew to put in the crockpot for dinner. Once of my favorite meals and good on for a cold day.

You all have a great day. Later.

[ocotillo 0]

Apples, you are welcome to change your booking this year too. We are accommodating. Glad youngest DS is getting his head together a little and settling down. Some people are just restless and they never settle in one place like we have.

Kelly, you dog is so cute. I love the upside down picture. I love it when my animals do the same thing. The cat likes to hang out spread eagle in the sun this time of year. I think my dog is getting a little too old and stiff to do much of that, but she does it when she jumps on the bed with DH and he rubs her tummy.

Arlene, so try eating jerky....little bits of it instead of the carbs. Everytime you want to eat regular carbs, grab a little piece of Jerky and chew on that. It may help satisfy the carb craving. I make my own Jerky and it's very dry and has NO sugar. It takes a bit to chew it.

We went out for dinner last night with the FNSC gang and went to a Greek restaurant. I was very surprised that almost everyone ordered appetizers and no dinners. We all shared everything and it was great because no one overate. It was nice. I did have a couple of interesting drinks. One was a pomegranate martini...not sweet at all and the 2nd was a dessert...chocolate martini....very sweet, can't do too many of those....of course my DH helped me drink the chocolate martini.

DH is taking DSS to Phoenix to do a meet and greet and the tech school there. We are not sure Robbie is ready for college, but we'll see. It's very expensive and a lot of work.

I woke up with sore hips and back today. Don't know if it the weather change or what but I'm going to walk later this morning and hope it works itself out. I did take Ibuprofen and am still waiting for it to kick in.

So that's all the new that isn't.

BBL

Eva

[ocotillo 0]

I'm going to make mushroom Soup today to use up the portabellas I have. Yum....

[NJSoldierwife 0]

Good morning everyone!

I was wondering if I can join your group? I have been trying to find a group that is open and supportive, that I can be supportive with too! And from the looks of it, you ladies are it!

A little bit about myself:

Had lapband done September 2008, husband was deployed to Iraq at the time. First nine months went perfect! I was on target, losing weight (40 pounds) and focused on taking care of myself. Hubby came home, and my focus left me and went on him. We had been infertile for 10 years, so started with an infertility dr. Shots, shots and more shots, failed IUI and 2 dncs later found me with a uterus filled with pre-cancerous cells. Had to be put on a medication for 3 months to fix the situation, which it did, but also put 20 pounds on me (come to find out the med was used for anorexics to gain weight).

Did another round of shots and another IUI, early miscarriage.

So no more insurance money to do infertility, that part of my life is over. We have been on an adoption list for 3 years, and am now working with the state to do a foster to adopt program.

I have nothing left in me, no focus, drive, or even happiness. I did lose 9 of the 20 pounds. I feel horrible, every day I have horrendous heartburn, almost completely filled, I vomit almost every day if not more.

How do I come back? I feel like such a failure!

If this is too intense for you, please let me know and I will find someplace else.

Thank you for listening!

[Apples2 19]

Eva...yum...mushroom Soup. Thanks for the "early" offer but this time of the year we spend a couple of months fine tuning all our pre-pays and financial stuff for farm and business. It will carry us right up until we leave in Jan.

And as far as DS goes. He's always working and has ambition so that's a good thing. We just want him to continue on with the what makes him happy, live where ever he wants, even if it's half way across the country....he's my "Happy Wanderer" and always will be. The economy and other things cause a little bump in the road for him and he took it hard but he was only without work for a little over two weeks. Biggest problem now is to get him and his dad to quit butting heads. Agree to disagree. One is as bullheaded as the other and I'm not going to be the mediator anymore. For them to work on. I will just be the sneaky behind the scenes person the slowly gets them to work on some issues.

Kelly...forgot to comment on your puppa pictures. Soooooo cute and that laying on the back pose was the best. Thanks for sharing. Those babies become just what a person needs sometimes. (All the time for me)

[ocotillo 0]

Good morning everyone!

I was wondering if I can join your group? I have been trying to find a group that is open and supportive, that I can be supportive with too! And from the looks of it, you ladies are it!

A little bit about myself:

Had LAP-BAND® done September 2008, husband was deployed to Iraq at the time. First nine months went perfect! I was on target, losing weight (40 pounds) and focused on taking care of myself. Hubby came home, and my focus left me and went on him. We had been infertile for 10 years, so started with an infertility dr. Shots, shots and more shots, failed IUI and 2 dncs later found me with a uterus filled with pre-cancerous cells. Had to be put on a medication for 3 months to fix the situation, which it did, but also put 20 pounds on me (come to find out the med was used for anorexics to gain weight).

Did another round of shots and another IUI, early miscarriage.

So no more insurance money to do infertility, that part of my life is over. We have been on an adoption list for 3 years, and am now working with the state to do a foster to adopt program.

I have nothing left in me, no focus, drive, or even happiness. I did lose 9 of the 20 pounds. I feel horrible, every day I have horrendous heartburn, almost completely filled, I vomit almost every day if not more.

How do I come back? I feel like such a failure!

If this is too intense for you, please let me know and I will find someplace else.

Thank you for listening!

You are not a failure....you may have gained some weight back, but you did not gain all of it back and you still weigh less that when you started. I'm so sorry about your troubles with conception, I understand it's a great loss but the universe (God) never gives you more than you can handle...you can choose to handle it or not...the choice is yours. You are too filled if you are PBing everyday and have such heartburn. Go get a slight unfill. There are people on this thread that have experienced exactly what you are feeling with the fill and they will all tell you to get an unfill, then start over after you heal. All you are doing now is damaging your stomach and that won't do you any good in the long run. It's tough, but you can do it. Hang in there and go see your doctor (band doctor) or someone about the fill. I think that will help a lot.

Eva

[Apples2 19]

Michaele...welcome to the thread and to our nice little group of supportive ppl we have here.

First of all...thank that guy of yours for serving our country. And, so sorry for your infertility issues and all you and your DH have been through. Sounds like you are emotionally spent and need some things to take your focus of all of this a bit.

To me, it sounds like you might have too much fill in your band. A banded person should not be living with reflux. It's dangerous and causes us to eat slider foods which in turn causes us to gain weight. I am unsure of what your eating routine is so I am just guessing.

Tell us a little about what you eat, daily calories, if you keep a food journal, do you go to support group, etc.

Again, welcome.