Alexandra

The owner of the site is the one who gets to call the shots with regard to moderators' duties, and I've seen him say that editing or deleting of posts is something he is very much against. I happen to agree, but it's his call to make. We'll do what he says. With regard to the personal nature of PMs: I'd hope that anyone receiving a communication they feel crosses any lines will first bring it to the attention of a moderator rather than just going public immediately. I totally agree that verbal abuse is unacceptable in any venue, but taking this intermediate step might solve the problem without starting public bonfires.

Tanya, most people stay in the hospital one night, if that. I was in and out the same day. Don't worry about the rescheduling. March has begun and the end will come sooner than you think!! (On March 30 my brother will be turning 45, so it will be coming very quickly for him. )

Hi Tinkerbell! (Right now my younger daughter is prancing around the house in her Tinkerbell outfit. ) You've come to one of the right places to hear lots of people's personal experiences. We were all worried about all of the same things before deciding to have the surgery. For my money, it's been one of the best decisions I ever made--and it was a pretty easy one to make, too. It's given me a power over my body I've never had before and thought was a completely lost cause. Children are extraordinary motivators, aren't they? They're the reason I ever said the "s" word to myself in the first place. I thank all the powers that be that I had my kids AFTER the band was approved in the US, because if it had all happened 10 years earlier there would have been no alternative to the RNY. And that scares the bejesus out of me. The procedure was a lot less painful than giving birth, that's for sure. But surgery is no picnic and it took a few days to bounce completely back. Since then I've had no complications to speak of, and the adjustments are quick and easy. I have no discomfort now unless I eat unthinkingly, which is exactly what the band is designed to teach me not to do. (And I AM learning, really!) I would indeed do it again. And again after that, if I had to.

All of my digits are crossed too! (Betcha wonder how I can type, then, hmm?) Good luck!!!

Laura, sounds like you're on top of the world with a quick approval and a super-experienced surgeon! Congratulations!!

Well, another foot of snow has fallen on northern NJ, and we're home for the duration. Anyone else? Whatcha'll doing?

Theresa, the new weight-loss thread was started as a neutral ground to track our amazing collective progress. For some reason, there was some conflict on prior lists of pounds lost. No threads have been deleted or altered without the express permission of or at the request of the author. Discussing the ins and outs of board policy is perfectly fine. Let's just try to be civil about it.

Absolutely right, Darcy. That's why it's really important to think before you post. Nothing ever really goes away in cyberspace.

Congratulations and welcome to bandland! The snow is a great excuse to rest up. Take it easy and heal fast!

It's totally open as to who "started" the public attacking here. All I'm saying is that now it will end.

PMs are private correspondence and must remain that way. If someone is getting mean in them, the best reaction is to simply delete them and ignore the sender. Another board I'm on (but not a moderator of) considers the revelation of PM content an instantly bannable offense.

The sun is playing with us today. It's sort of a light gray outside.

This thread is being locked by agreement of the moderators.

Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and painless recovery. Come back and let us know how you're doing!

Low-carbing it really does take off weight quickly. If she does nothing else beyond removing all bread, pasta, potatoes, and as much sugar as possible from her diet she will see results. Beyond that, drinking LOADS of water and moving around as much as possible are things to do.

LOL, I'll be here a lot today, that's for sure. Listening to my girls argue about which computer game to play has me tearing out my hair! Sure is pretty outside, though.

Lisa, please refrain from stating that items are being censored or deleted. It's simply not true. No one but the author of a message will change it in any way. Thank you.

Kristi, you'll see a whole new world after you get your fill. Banding is not a quick fix and we all have to learn that our own way. Good luck!! Rbuchanan, you might want to start a new thread asking for info and support; not many will see it here. Can you give us more details? Have you had a fill? Are you exercising and tracking what you eat? Start a new thread and you'll get lots of feedback!

My weight has always been the most closely guarded secret since the location of the keys to Fort Knox. My brother has been asking me for DECADES to spill the Beans. In typical brotherly fashion he'd "guess," giving estimates ranging from 100 to 500 lbs and asking me if he was "getting warmer." :rolleyes I now weigh about 50 lbs LESS than he does and I get a lot of pleasure from sharing that with him. :devious My husband is a gentleman and has never asked, even though during our relationship I have outweighed him by anywhere from 70 - 100 lbs. It just dawned on me as I write this that at this very moment I might weigh the same or less than he does!! Will I tell him? I don't know. He knows the big milestones of size and so on, and when my loss went into the triple digits I had to tell him that. But I've never come right out and admitted to a number in his hearing.

Nykee, everyone's situation is different. If insurance covered the initial banding then it's very likely any complications will be covered. That was one of the major reasons I fought it out with my insurance company through three appeals--I thought that living in NJ if I had any problems with the band the medical expenses could easily break me. Now I think differently, since I have learned that even major band problems tend to be minor medical problems, and don't cost the whole house to fix. So if I were doing it again and insurance wasn't an option, I wouldn't let fear of the cost of complications stop me.

Bobby, it sounds like you're on the infamous "soft diet."Take care of yourself, because if that's all you can eat you might be too tight. If you start having any reflux you might want to consider being loosened a little. Here's my daily routine: breakfast is either a protein bar or 2 ozs of cheese. Coffee. Lunch is typically about half of the insides of a deli sandwich. If I snack it's usually some nuts. Dinner is usually some meat, breaded chicken breast or something like that, with a small amount of vegetables. More days than not I'll also have some ice cream, either before or after dinner. Lately I've been trying not to eat after 6:00 or so, which limits dessert. And I drink water and tea throughout the day.

If I had been able to I would definitely have gotten the band at age 19. What decades of pain that would have saved me! One thing I'd wonder about, though, with regard to the Navy. I have no idea what the medical requirements are but you might want to find out if having an implanted device like the band might be a problem. Better find out now if that's a deal-breaker for you. Good luck!

Members can edit or delete their own posts, which I think is a good thing on a board like this where personal information might be shared that the member has second thoughts about later. I agree that it can disturb the flow of a thread. In general, it's not considered good internet manners to delete posts entirely, for exactly this reason.

On the wall in this room is a photo frame with pix from my parents' wedding back in 1953. Hung from the frame is a piece of ribbon with my mother's wedding band attached. (Although my parents' marriage wasn't successful, their wedding was on the lawn of the house where we now live, and this room has a lot of old photos like that.) My mother stopped wearing her ring when I was about 10 and that's when I first discovered it didn't fit. You can imagine the shame I felt, and since then her ring has always been some sort of talisman that I knew I could never wear. She used to keep it hidden because it was painful for both of us when I would play with it. :cool: Tonight the wedding band caught my eye and I decided to try it on. IT FIT!! It was even LOOSE!! This ring has not fit me in my entire life. Both of my parents, somewhere, are absolutely amazed and delighted. As am I. Wow.

Kelly, I'm hoping that we'll be able to figure out one central place for people to keep progress updates. Don't worry, it will be back.