Alexandra

Brilliant reponses, every one. My DH was like Faybie's, and every time he made a comment like "why not just eat less?" I could see he was thinking like a thin person (which he is). He just couldn't comprehend what it was like to go through life feeling COMPLETELY out of control against this monster of morbid obesity. I was healthy, relatively speaking, but what brought me to surgery was the birth of my children. Suddenly my health really mattered, and though I already had long known my weight was not something I'd ever be able to conquer on my own, my two little girls elevated the matter to such a level that I HAD to get help. My husband saw my determination and of course shared my focus on the girls. It was about way more than my appearance or size--it was about our children's safety and our family's future. He withdrew his objections, and is now very proud and supportive. My lifestyle has changed but still centers around the family rather than my weight; I'm not a gym-hound and don't obsess about calories or whatever. I got the surgery so I could STOP worrying about my weight, not to think about it more. I didn't tell many other family members; this wasn't any of their business. Months later when they saw that I was losing weight, REAL weight, for the very first time in our lives, they asked about it and I told them. Everyone was happy for me and completely on board. I say stop discussing it. Make your decision for yourself and act on it. Their opinions simply have no bearing on your decisions about your own health.

Hi Connie, We can all relate to those feelings of "I should be able to do this on my own" and "I know I can lose weight!" What brought me to the band was the realization that nothing, ever, has ever made it so that I could lose weight and keep it off. I needed help, and I wasn't ashamed, finally, to admit it. It's been a miracle in my life. I would do it again and again and again if I had to. I'm not some skinny mini who has reached "goal" and don't expect to ever fit in to a size 12, much less an 8. But the band has made it possible for me to experience a life and imagine a future of normal proportions, and that to me is a continuing medical wonder.

Hey, Stina, I had a similar piece of news handed to me about six months ago when my doctor informed me that I had to go on anti-hypertension meds. I didn't think of it as a failure of weight loss, though I can understand your feelings completely. The way I see it, my weight loss is now no longer clouding any REAL health issues I might have had and which may have been written off in the past as being purely due to excess weight. My family has diabetes and high blood pressure in it even in non-obese members, so it's not all that surprising that my blood pressure needs medicating. But all my life I've been afraid/reluctant/resistant to discussing it, because it was always blamed on my weight. The advice was always "go on a diet" and it will go away. Well it didn't go away and now I am HAPPY to take meds to keep my pressure in a healthy range. It's a real issue with me and now it's possible to focus on my health, rather than my weight.

Good luck with everything, Babs! I just renewed my Prevacid scrip that I haven't taken in months, just as a precaution. I overdid it the other day on potato chips (we visited the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory on vacation :eek: ) and can definitely feel the irritation. I've forgotten what real restriction means, and I am re-learning the hard way. Fingers crossed!

Good luck to you, LA Madam! WW works as well as anything, if you work it. And I know lots of people who find great success with it. Here's hoping you do too!

I'm in the body-stress camp myself. I've lost weight before and not lost hair, but every single time I've had some major medical thing (childbirth, banding surgery, endoscopy involving anaesthesia) I've had temporary hair thinning a couple of months afterward. It always comes back in full.

Hey Shelly and Babs, I'm just reading this now and am really sorry you're having such troubles! I'm right there with you, having had a tiny fill August 17after months of a total unfill to solve serious reflux. So far so good, I'm happy to say, but I'm totally mindful that one night I could wake up with reflux all over again. Shelly, if that were to happen to me I'd go immediately for a total unfill but want to do anything I could to KEEP MY BAND. Even without "restricton" it absolutely helps to limit my intake to a level that will let me maintain my loss. And to me that's what it's all about. 68% of your excess weight may not sound like a lot to you, but here's my take on that: If someone had told me going in that this was what I'd achieve, I'd STILL have been determined to get it. 68% is an amazing amount, and considering the relatively minor impact this surgery has on our bodies it would seem a measure worth undertaking. Nothing in my life has ever been that successful in helping me with my weight before. It is a mystery why it tightens up seemingly without provocation, and my current mission is to try to understand my body's signals with regard to this. And I know I'm going to treat my allergies aggressively, with Flonase and Claritin on a regular basis when the seasons are changing. When I do detect any irritation or tightness I'm determined to go on liquids for several days to baby it back to health. This is just my plan to deal with my current situation, trying to hold on to good health with my new fill. Fingers crossed that it works. And last thought: I definitely agree that long-term esophageal problems are a possibility with banded patients. I asked my doctor about this not too long ago, and he said something like these complications do increase with time. While the chance of esophageal problems might be (I'm guessing) 5% within the first year, 10% in the second, it rises to (and this is what my doctor says he's heard from European colleagues) "like 20% after 7 years." That sounds scary, but it still says that 80% of people don't have issues even after that length of time. So I'm determined to figure out how to stay in the 80%, if there's anything at all I can do to make it happen.

Jess, what a handful you've been dealt! I'm so sorry about your husband and all you are facing. Good luck with the unfill; here's hoping it resolves the slip and all is fine. :hug:

Hi Ruthie! Another Jersey girl here, and another Abkin/Bertha patient. Don't worry about your fill; Dr. Bertha is extremely practiced at them and it will go like a charm. WRT walking trails: I just heard that Split Rock Reservoir up in Rockaway/Btn Township has 13 miles of trails. I can't wait to explore them, but haven't done so yet. It's gorgeous up there!!

Hi ladies, Just a thought; if you're noticing extra mucus in your sinuses and ears why not try a decongestant medication? I have a theory that banding interferes with our regular drainage ability and any increase in mucus secretion (such as due to allergies) can cause problems. Reducing the production of mucus might help, I'm thinking.

Oh, Seppi, I didn't realize you'd already tried the unfill route. Wish I had more ideas for you--I sure hope it heals up!!

Seppi, if I were told that (and I was, about several months ago) I opted for a complete unfill. As soon as the fill came out the reflux stopped, and it has never returned. Last week, finally, I went in for another fluoro and was given a tiny fill of .8 ccs. No reflux (knock on wood!!) The choice between having a band and NOT having a band is easy to make, for me. I want my band. So I didn't hesitate a second when thinking about an unfill. Get that fill out, heal, let it all resolve. As long as you have your band you'll always be able to get another fill. Good luck!!

Wow, Elizabethsew, that is really a scary story. And inspirational in the end, so thank you very much. I'm glad you are here to share it. :hug: Leatha, you too!! :hug:

Beautifully said, Officegirlblues! Regret is an emotion that generally means one wasn't prepared for whatever it was. If one has done the appropriate soul-searching, regret is impossible. Disappointment, frustration, even anger, sure, but "regret" shouldn't be one of the emotions if our eyes were open going in.

Congratulations, Lisa! That is indeed something to crow about. :biggrin1:

Hey Marissa, Sorry you don't like your job, but congratulations on the car! That's gotta be cool, huh? If you don't like where you're working, why not try getting an office job? There is a neverending need for competent office help, part-time, full-time, temporary, you name it. If you can type and are pleasant, you're in. Visit a temp agency and see what you need to work on and get on it! I started temping in high school and was earning way more than minimum wage from the very start. Good luck!!

Yep, Donna said it. Drinking while eating is just to "wash it down," if you think about it, and that's something bandsters don't want to be doing. And 1-2 lbs per week is, by any measure, the healthiest pace at which to lose weight. Welcome to LBT!!

I am SO out of the loop when it comes to today's popular music. Man, I feel a million years old. I swore this would never happen to me!! :cry

Is this a song?

Why not start a thread in the Texas area? Welcome to LBT!!

This is ridiculous. I'm locking this. I'm not deleting posts, but this thread is over.

GreatDame is right. And as always, the best way to stop these dustups is to completely ignore them.

3Loves, this is getting locked too because you are just trying to stir up trouble. You are deliberately attacking another member, "anonymously" perhaps but it's not acceptable. Please make this the last one.

Yikes, Magic, that sounds rough! It might indeed be swelling but it's not good that you can't get even a little Fluid down. Try warm liquids this evening. If you're still this way in the morning call your doctor! Good luck and let us know how you're doing. :hug:

The moderators don't have the power, TOM, but the owner does and he's done precisely that in the past. Do we learn? Evidently not. It could easily happen again. It must be a full moon, somewhere.