Alexandra

I don't think you can, definitively. When this happens to me I look at all my symptoms and the big question: is anyone else in my house sick? If my kids are sniffly it's a cold. How long does it take to clear up? Be very aggressive about avoiding reflux and see what happens. Don't eat after 5:00 p.m. except for a hot drink at about 7:00. If you have any nasal congestion medicate it (like if you have allergies). If the sore throat clears up through the day and you have no other cold symptoms, it could be reflux. If you have other cold symptoms, or if other people in your house are sick, or if your reflux tactics have no effect after two days, it's probably a cold. Either way, I hope you feel better soon!

I've noticed some people's signatures growing, with a lot of white space in there. I think that's happening because when you update your tickers and paste the new code into your signature, you're not deleting the old code. It just multiplies every time you do it. So people, when you update your tickers and paste new code into your signature boxes, please try to delete ALL the old ticker codes. Some signatures are getting really long. Let me know if you need help editing your signatures. Thanks!!

You have a signature, so just edit it and past the ticker code right into the signature box. You want to use the UBB code, I think. (I could be wrong on that.)

I get this too, Kathy. For me, it's exercise. It's so easy to NOT exercise when I'm feeling this way (which happens, like clockwork, once a month) and then it just gets worse. If I've been sick that compounds the problem. Just last week I've come out of a three-week cycle of sickness and feeling ... frumpy. I even once expressed to my husband concern that I might be depressed, but then the next day for some reason I woke up feeling much better! And once I got back to the gym that feeling just increased. Exercise really is the answer, much as we don't want to admit it. Seriously, there's no alternative for embracing exercise in our lives now on a permanent basis (I'm saying that for my own benefit--if I say if enough I'll internalize it, I hope). Hope you feel better soon!!!

I hope typing that out helps relieve some of the stress, Jodie. There are no magic words to say that will make it all stop bothering you, but you know better than anyone how unhelpful such emotions are. And your reactions ARE within your control. You have moved on to much more important things--controlling your health, graduating from high school, getting ready for college and entering a wider world. This is all so exciting!! Leave that teenage drama behind you and look within for things to focus on. You are getting stronger every day. Wanting to punish someone else is a purely negative feeling and only hurts yourself. I know it's hard, but you will see things differently one day soon.

Mysty, are you in California? If so, the same external review process that Renebean used might work for you as a last resort, if necessary. Don't give up!! :whoo:

First, with regard to e-mails: the communication was not sent through LBT, so our features are not relevant to the discussion. I don't know what the options are over at OH, but it seems to me if you leave yourself open to receiving e-mail it's OK to send it. As far as I'm concerned the truly tactless thing that was done, by both parties, was to take the discussion public. I just don't see the point in bringing to everyone's attention a private communication that might have been poorly received. Let's just move on, please. Anca, you can send anyone a PM here. Second: It is most emphatically NOT legal to cut and past from Consumer Reports. Please don't do it. What you CAN do is summarize the conclusions, which would be greatly appreciated if you can take the time. I'm going to go to the library to get the current issue tomorrow. I'm really curious as to what CR has to say!

Pugmum, it's true that there is never a miracle answer and there are still rules to follow. The great thing about being banded, though, is that following the rules is MUCH EASIER when you have a little band of silicone helping you. There is no possible way I could have lost 120 lbs on my own, nevermind keeping it off essentially without trying. It's a whole new world, I promise. :biggrin1:

Any PCP should be happy to do this for a patient. Have you tried finding another one in your network?

I think this is the sensation that occurs when something is really too big or fibrous to go down, and is actually stuck in the stoma. The stomach is trying to push whatever it is through, and this translates to pain. I've definitely had this once or twice and in my experience it's a pulsing sort of thing. Nerves are all connected down there, and if this is what's happening it may present as all sorts of discomfort.

When you have good restriction you can definitely feel when one bite is one bite too many. The trick is recognizing that feeling BEFORE you take that last bite. It will always take "willpower" to put the fork down, because some people decide it's more satisfying to take more bites even if they have to chuck them back up. It's something everyone handles in their own way. Personally it didn't take too many incidences of negative reinforcement to make me stop eating after the right amount of food.

Welcome to LBT, Chrissie! You're in the right place to hear people's stories and ask questions. We're here for you and are glad you could join us!

I think very few people actually "require" cosmetic surgery after weight loss. Only the very extreme cases actually create medical problems that would require surgical correction. Would all of us look better with a little nipping and tucking? Probably. Is that the same thing as requiring surgery? Not at all.

I think it's got to be true that slower weight loss equals less noticeable loose skin. If weight comes off overnight the skin has no time to bounce back. Perhaps eventually it would equalize over time whether the weight loss is fast or slow; one's skin elasticity is not affected by the speed of loss, after all. But a slower loss allows the shrinking skin to keep pace as the weight comes off and therefore the problem may be less of a problem at the end. Exercise tones muscle, it doesn't do anything for skin. Water intake keeps skin hydrated, which improves its appearance. But the only things that REALLY make a difference are age, genes, and luck.

This is true, and especially so for bandsters!! Metamucil or one of those thickening-type ones can get clogged up in the pouch and make you miserable. Benefiber is guaranteed not to do that.

I agree with Jack, but I'm not really able to eat cereal. Because of that I find that I'm just not able to get enough fiber on my own to remain regular, so I supplement with Benefiber every day. It's not a stimulant or laxative, but normalizes things so that I don't ever need one. Benefiber is a powder that dissolves completely in hot liquid, and I just have some in my morning coffee every day. Keeps things moving nicely. :clap2:

Dana, all I have to say is that I know EXACTLY where you are. I went in search of WLS answers after realizing that there was just no way I would EVER get a handle on my lifelong weight problem, and with two small children there was a new imperative in my life to do just that. It was those two small children who provided the answer as to which WLS as well. I needed to be HERE, and healthy enough to continue parenting. Sure, at 340 I wasn't an effective-enough parent, but how much worse would I be if I had ANY of the possible bypass complications? They can land you in the hospital repeatedly, or worse. Even a small risk of serious complications was too big a risk for me to take. Three years later I'm a HAPPY, HAPPY bandster and a much more effective parent. I lost 120 lbs in two years, more than I ever dared believe would be possible. I've had no complications that couldn't be fixed in an office visit and it's completely changed my relationship with food. I am on Synthroid and my thyroid issues have presented no obstacle, as far as I know. All I wanted was to stop gaining, and see if I could get some control so I could lose some. It's been more than I ever imagined and I couldn't be happier. And if, heaven forbid, something were to go wrong and I'd have to have my band removed, there is always another thing to try. Bypass leaves you with precious few choices. Why do the biggest thing first? You're incredibly lucky that your insurance will cover banding. With small children to care for why take the extra risk? My children don't have any memory of me as a morbidly obese person, and I thank my lucky stars every day that I didn't have to have major, invasive, gut-rearranging surgery to make that happen. MOST bandsters lose weight; how much we lose is almost completely within our control. There are a few people who have situations that may prevent them from losing a lot, but on the whole the equation is easy. If you eat less after banding than you did before banding, you will lose weight. And being banded makes it much easier, overall and over time, to just.eat.less. Welcome to LBT and I hope we can help you make your decision. Glad you found us! :biggrin1:

This is a very good observation. From what you say, Laura, I'd be inclined to give it a few more days. Try to really slow down your eating and really PULVERIZE your bites before swallowing. You may just be swallowing too soon. It really can be surprising with a new restriction level how little food we need to get full, and how small the pieces need to be to go down.

Kabeerah, you probably aren't going to find much information about the Swedish band here; most of us are in the U.S. where ONLY the Inamed Lap-Band is approved by the FDA. There may be one or two, but largely I think the choice is made by the medical providers--what's available and in use in that country. From everything I've ever heard, a band is a band is a band with regard to weight lost (as long as the band is adjustable). They all work essentially the same way. The differences are in the design of the bands but the results are the same--eat less, eat slower, lose weight.

My doctors say to go to fluids and then mushies after a fill primarily, I think, so that we are not suddenly surprised by restriction and have a bad episode. Some people's stomachs swell in reaction to a fill, so lots of doctors suggest taking it slow with solid food.

I think we can safely say that generalizations are not helpful, on all sorts of levels. And I hope we can all think carefully about our posts so we don't get into personal-attack territory.

In our last supportgroup meeting we discussed this possibility, and our surgeon felt it was even more of an urgent problem than erosion. Band removal really is called for here, I think, or at the very least a COMPLETE unfill. Esophogeal function is very important and if it's compromised you really do need to do something.

I believe he means Feb 2006, but it's not available online unless you subscribe, I don't think. (I'd love to be shown to be wrong on that, but I tried last night.)

How very interesting!! Thanks for sharing your story and all the details. Much appreciated!

Hi Quakergirl!! Nice to hear from you and I'm so glad to hear you're doing well! Wow, medical school, huh? No wonder you don't have time to check in with us. You're busy learning how to save lives!! :biggrin1: