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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/20/2013 in Blog Entries
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6 points
New Bandsters becoming extinct?
JOANNE M HOLL and 5 others reacted to Jim1967 for a blog entry
I've been banded for a little over a year now and I can remember when I attended my first seminar in October 2011 there was so many potential band patients. As time went on and I attended support meetings and gastric patients always far out numbered bandsters but there was still a lot of people. So now my Wife has begun her journey and is using the same center I used but a different Doctor. Doctor who was giving the seminar discussed all three option as they now offer the Sleeve along with the band and bypass. As I was taking in all the information it became quite clear that the band has fallen out of favor with the Doctors in the center. They'll still do Bands if that is what the patient wants. At one point the Doctor said "On average our patients lose 30 pounds in year one where the other surgeries have a higher success rate". Needless to say I disputed those numbers and then privately told the Doctor I believe she was being unfair with her assessment and then I questioned her that out of the number she is using how many were due to non-compliance vs actual complications/failures? Her answer was bluntly "That is why I like to push for the Sleeve over band as it requires less attention". Sounds pretty bias to me!! I then said so what you're saying is getting the Sleeve means it is successful regardless of the effort of the patient? And her reply was "Well there will always be guidelines and good choices to be made in order to be successful". .At that point I had enough and it sounded like she was blowing me off. I continue to follow up with my Doctor and I still attend certain support meetings but I can sadly see band patients being a thing of the past. I attend as a patient advocate in what is called a Panel of Experts which is made up of post op patients with at least more than 9 months of experience. I sit on this panel with bypass and sleeve patients. It is designed for preop to ask anything they want to the post ops without any presence from the Center. Basically a patient to patient candid talk. I will tell you the last one I had been to consisted of about 20 people and 2 were potential bandsters. I think I ended up answering 3 or 4 questions while listening to the Sleeve and Gastric speak. -
6 points
This is really happening....
Jiggly Puff and 5 others reacted to M_8ankz for a blog entry
Today is the day that i saw so far off in the distance 4 months ago. A day where I would exhale and quietly rejoice with myself. A day where I found contentment in myself that I haven't had in many years. I rushed around to get ready for work this morning....I was running VERY late. Before I grabbed my purse I stepped on the scale, somewhat blah, and had a little surprise. I was 199.8! Time stopped at that moment as I stood there staring. I slowly stepped off the scale and just stood there. Alone in the bathroom I took a moment to be thankful. Thankful that my surgery was even an option, and thankful that my body took so well to it. After today I am going to continue all the work that it took to get to this point. I now know today, how strong of a person it takes to have WLS. I feel like I have accomplished so much more than just smaller numbers on a scale. I gained confidence, contentment, and healthy knowledge. -
4 pointsOk, I might get blackballed and lose my MAN CARD for admitting this, but here goes. I was cleaning out the closet, looking for smaller pants to wear. I started rummaging for something that would fit, found a nice pair to try on. They were a PERFECT fit, better than any pants I've put on. Looked good in the mirror too! All that walking is shaping my butt up! Did I really say that last line? Up till recently, you could lean me up against a flat wall and there’d be no gaps anywhere from the top of my back to my calves. My butt was so flat… How flat was it? It was often mistaken for an end table when I lay on the floor. I looked at the tags only to find that they weren’t men’s pants at all - but a ladies size 16 that got left behind from a previous girlfriend! They must’ve mistakenly gotten mixed in with the tons of other pants and shirts that were put in the “I’ll be able to wear that again someday,” wishful thinking pile. For the MAN Committee, I know you have no knowledge of this, but, a 16 is the 1X Women's Plus Size according to Overstock.com. And I DID have to look that up; it didn’t come from memory or previous experience wearing women’s clothing! (So MAN Committee, please take that into account when voting.) This means that I now have the body of a woman with voluptuous hips! P.S. Blackball or not, I'm KEEPING the pants!! Keep Pimpin that sleeve!
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1 point
Working on it......
Maddysgram reacted to Kime-lou for a blog entry
My attitude the last few weeks has been less than great. I have been down for a number of reasons and it has take a toll on me and my weight loss. My life is still beyond busy, but I hope I am getting some control over my attitude. By the end of last week I was in the mode of screw it, I don't care I am going to eat what I want and do what I want. However, I noticed that my band does prevent me from going to far over board and I suppose that is a great thing. Saturday my parent drove down from Southern VA to help the hubs and I set up our awesome new deck. We finally built the deck of our dreams. Even though we live in Raleigh, NC's capital, we have a house in a subdivision that backs a river, so I have a big feild and a river behind my house. This helps me feel like I am some what in the country. We now have a 25 x 14 deck. My parents helped assemble a gazebo on our deck, complete with curtains. We have beautiful new deck furniture. So Saturday from the time my feet hit the floor until my butt hit the bed I was hauling butt. Eating wise, I am not sure how to feel about the weekend. Saturday and Sunday morning, I had what the hubs refers to as the hearty breakfast bowl. This bowl consist of 1 pack of cinnamon oatmal, half of a small apple chopped up in it and a sprinkle of granola on top. It is very good. I don't think that was a horrible breakfast. For lunch, for time sake, we order a pizza. I ate two slices of a medium veggie pizza. When dinner finally rolled around, I felt like a truck had hit me since I had been working out in the sun since 8 am. The hubs wanted to go to Moe's Southwest Grill. I ordered a Quesodilla with chicken, onions and peppers. I pulled off the execess shell, but I did eat most all of it. Funny thing is I never had one stuck spell or felt over full. This worries me a bit. Sunday, I had to make the trip up to Southern VA for a family reunion. I was worried about this, since it would be outside and I would have no where to go hide and PB if I got stuck. I ended up helping my plate with to much, however it was about a 3rd of what I would have normally had on there. Yet, I still didn't eat it all. I ended up giving a peice of chicken that was way to big to my newphew who is 16 and is as skinny as a rail, yet eats like a horse. I didn't have dessert a spoon of strawberry cobbler and 1 thin slice of pound cake. Luckly I never got stuck, but still know I ate to much. When I finally arrived home the hubs wanted breakfast supper. I made sausage and egg sandwiches. I toast mine so the bread doesn't gum. I ate the entire thing- normally I would only eat half. I worry now that I may have stretched my band. I know I need to get back on track and stop this insanity before it gets totally out of control. I had hoped to get up early today and go for a run, but it's is raining cats, dogs and a few horses here in NC and will all day . This afternoon I need to go get my mom's B-day gift, since I finally know what she wants. Then I need to come home and clean the house, which got neglected this weekend with everything else I have to do. So I know I will not stop moving until my head hits the pillow again. This constant being busy is likely what has prevented my weight from going insane, I am up to 190.8 this morning. My lowest seen has been 187. I must get back on track one step at a time, I believe it is time to go back to journaling, if I can find time to do that. -
1 point
If at first you don't succeed...
labwalker reacted to Terry Poperszky for a blog entry
Try something else. I am tired of my scale plateau, so on Missy's recommendation I am going to try carb cycling for a week or so to try and break it. So Missy if it doesn't work, I am holding you personally responsible -
1 point
Texas style Collard Greens
moonchild1968 reacted to kulita for a blog entry
Recipe courtesy Kulita’s Hubby Prep Time:10 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:55 min Ingredients: 1 ¼ quart water 1 ½ pounds smoked Ham Hocks ( can substitute with smoked turkey legs) 2.5 lbs collard or turnip greens 1 ½ Tbsp salt, plus extra if desired 1 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes Directions Place the quart of water and ham hocks in an 8-quart pot over medium-high heat. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to low and allow simmering for 10 minutes. In the meantime, remove any large stems/thick veins from the greens and wash them thoroughly; do so in a sink with at least 8 inches of ice water. Moving the leaves around in the water and allowing them to sit for a few minutes to allow the sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the sink. Once clean, thoroughly drain and chop pieces in half. You should have 2 pounds of greens once they are stemmed. Once the ham hocks have simmered for 10 minutes, add the greens, salt and sugar, reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add in the vinegar and pepper flakes at the 20 minute mark and break up the meat from the hocks. Start moving the greens around every 15 minutes. Once the greens have been cooked for at least 45 minutes check if they are tender ( not mushy). Taste and season with additional salt, if desired. Serve immediately with or without pieces of ham. Serves 4-6 people -
1 point
Kulita's Meatloaf Spectacular
moonchild1968 reacted to kulita for a blog entry
This is one of my favorite go-to recipes when cooking for my family. It it taken straight out of my cook book. I had to make this many times and finally have tweaked it enough to where everyone really like the flavor and texture of this version. Prep time: 30 min Total time: 90 min INGREDIENTS 2 cups finely chopped onion 2 Tbsp freshly minced garlic 1 celery rib, chopped fine 1 carrot, chopped fine ½ cup finely chopped scallion 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 tsp salt 1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2/3 cup ketchup 1 ½ pounds ground chuck 5 strips of uncooked bacon cut into 1/8 inch strips 3/4 lb ground pork 1 cup freshly toasted bread crumbs 2 large eggs, beaten lightly 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves DIRECTIONS The key to this meatloaf is to make sure that the ingredients you get are fresh. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large heavy skillet cook onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and scallion in butter over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Cook vegetables, covered, stirring occasionally, until carrot it tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 cup of ketchup (reserve the other 1/3) and cook, stirring for 1 minute. In a large bowl combine the vegetables, meats, bread crumbs, eggs, and parsley. In a shallow baking pan, form a mixture into one 10-by 5-inch oval loaf and spread remaining 1/3 cup ketchup over loaf. You could also form this onto a cookie sheet. Bake meat loaf in oven for 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted in center registers 155°F Serves 6 -
1 point
Failure
aldrichgrace reacted to Kime-lou for a blog entry
I said at the start of this journey failure was not an option. I was not going through this to revert back into old habits. While I haven't totally reverted back, over the last week I have noticed old thoughts and desires coming back into mind. I am not sure if this is because of my exhaustion and busyness of late or what. I had my blood work done this week to see how I am on that front. Seems I am very low on Vit D and my B-12 is low even though I am taking a supplement as is my iron. So I am going back on multiple suppliments and increasing the B12 even though I was already taking the perscribed amount. I know that these things being low can increase my exhaustion level, so I am getting back to taking them right now! My weight is still hanging at 188-189, but I still feel like a failure currently. Last weekend, Mother's Day- which is hard due to losing 3 babies- I went to my mom's for a family dinner. While I made sure there were Kime friendly foods there, there were also some of my fav desserts. I made my mom's fav cookie, which is also mine, Carmel Pecan Crunch. I ate 2 cookies- they were heaven. Then I took some Strawberry Cloud home. My mom's Strawberry cloud is a layer dessert consisting of angel food cake, crushed strawberries and a vanilla pudding/cool whip mixture. Mom does use the no sugar added pudding and cool whip due to my Dad's diabeties. But, still this was a dessert. Then yesterday a co-worker brought in her famous Pineapple Upside Down cake and I ate a slice. Normally, cake and me don't a long, but for some reason yesterday it gave me no issues. Then last night my hubs and I had some errons to run and some things to pick up so rather than cooking at home and having to clean up we went out to dinner. We needed something fast, which I should know better than that- fast and the band don't mix. We went to Chic-fil-a I order a kids chicken nuggett. (I use to eat two adult Chick nuggets). I ate the 1st nugget and bam- stuck. Took me 20 min in the bathroom to dislodge that sucker. I managed to eat a couple more nuggets and got stuck again so I gave up. I had not gotten stuck that day before that night, so I know it was from trying to eat to fast. But, part of me felt like this was my band telling me I shouldn't be eating this. I know chicken nuggets aren't exactly health food, but I haven't had them in forever and really wanted them and I did opt for a smaller size. Maybe I am just trying to justify my choice. The first of the week my weight bounced up to 190 and then back down to the 188-189 marks. The failure feeling come in that I am 11 months post of next Wednesday. I have gone from 244 to 188, while I am happy 56 lbs is gone, I still feel like a failure and I should have lost much more by this point. All the negitive things people told me before banding are swirling around in my head- "you will only lose half of you excess weight, if you want to lose more do gastric", "you should just do gastric, you will lose more", "your to fat for the band", "why do this, you will just gain it back", "you've always been big why change now". Yes, people said that to me, which pissed me off at the time, but now I am feeling like they were right. I know it's great that 56 lbs is gone and I have kept it off. It took 4 months for me to lose 10 lbs- that is so ridiculas. Many people on this site who had surgery at the same time as me have weight still melting off, so it's hard when the doctor tells me this is natural this far out for the loss to slow. I realize I should not compair myself to others, but it is hard not to. I am second guessing myself, wondering if I should just stop worrying about and live, if I lose more fine, if not fine. I didn't want to get to that point until I got to the 150's, which is almost 40 lbs away. I don't want to gain anything back, but I feel like if I don't lose more it still makes me a failure. -
1 point
Should I or Shouldn't I?
dylanmiles23 reacted to colorado_chick for a blog entry
I am 90% sure I want to get the lap band, and 10% unsure. I'm certain that my story, my life, my decision is not unique - but it's mine. I am 33 years old, almost 34. I have been 50 pounds over weight for years and years. I have been over weight since the fourth grade. It's part of who I am. I hate it. For over 20 years, not a day has gone by where I didn't have negative thoughts about my weight and my body. I love myself, I truly do. But I hate my extra weight. I am self conscious of my body. It prevents me from doing new things, meeting new people, and living my life. I walk into a store and start comparing myself to every female in the store. I obsess. This is my life and I effing hate it. I want out. That is why I am 90% sure I want this. I don't want scars. I don't want to be in pain. Most of all, I don't want this, getting the lap band, my last resort, to fail. Because this is it. If this doesn't work, then this is my life and I am petrified of failing and having to life the rest of my life in this body. That's the 10% why I'm still scared to get it. -
1 point
My Surgery Date: 5/20/13
BrickHouse reacted to ChrissyVon for a blog entry
*Breathe Christina* This is it. Tomorrow morning I will have my surgery. It will be the first day of the rest of my life, a truly life changing event. It has been a long road, I have been to so many doctor visits preparing for this day to come. I have my bag ready, family notified, I am having a visit with a Pagan Minister for many Blessings so that I will have a safe and healthy journey tomorrow. Everything seems to be in order. I relaxed today, took it easy. Got a lot of rest. I am feeling calm now, but I know tomorrow morning I will be begging for a sedative! I've been repeating to myself "no hair clips, no makeup, no perfume, no nail polish. shower with antibacterial soap. don't shave my surgical site" (not that I would, but it's on the list) Ipod- Check! Friends notified- Check! Cell phone charger- Check! And of course makeup and shower essentials for the day after. *Sigh* Wish me luck, Blessed Be!