Alexandra

Penni is of course right. We just can't be everywhere at once. Please, everyone, if you see a post that disturbs you, report it! The little white-in-red triangle with the exclamation point in it on every single post is there for just this reason. Press that, and a moderator will come check out the thread that's of concern. A little help, folks, is all we ask.

They are trying to evaluate not you, per se, but whether you have accurately understood and considered the implications of banding surgery on your life. They understand that people who are morbidly obese and trying to get surgery may be depressed, prone to isolation, overcompensating in whatever ways, hell, I'm sure we're all a bit "unbalanced" to some degree. But these counselors are looking for whether you have appropriately assessed your own habits and thought about life post-banding. So take these days to think hard about your habits and how banding will help you lose weight. If you have realistic expectations, have really understood the consequences of banding, have seriously examined your motives and they center around improving your health (as opposed to pleasing someone else, for example), you have nothing to worry about.

Stop it. Now.

I agree with Lisa, it's definitely something we have to be COMPLETELY ready for. It's every bit as much a mental journey as a physical one, and we have to be on board for the whole enchilada. I really think it's also important to discuss with your doctor ALL your personal physical issues. Think back over your life and try to assess what sort of healer you are. Do you have allergies? Do you have other sensitivities or proclivities? What some people sail through others might find hard to handle. All those "how long did it take you to go back to work" threads are very enlightening--everyone is different. There are a million and five things to consider before jumping on the bandwagon. Would that every doctor could take all the time needed with every patient, but it's not always so. We have to be our own advocates and really think hard and long about going through this immense change. But of all the bandsters I've met and talked with, I'd have to say the VAST majority are happy with their bands to a greater or lesser degree depending on where they are in their lives. Only a very few isolated cases have actually said they would NOT have done it again, and in those situations it usually boils down to some element that could have been predictable, or at least identifiable, before surgery.

Amen, amen, amen. I want this in cross-stitch. :scalesno: And if I can amend my previous alter-ego, I want to be Jimmy Buffett. (He has the perfect life!!)

Hi Lisa, I'm sorry for your loss, too. Reading threads like this reminds me why I don't want pets. :scalesno: (P.S.: Good to see you!)

:pound: :pound:

Wheetsin is a wise, wise woman. The only other thing I'd add is that if someone reads something on the board that seems childish and catty, the fact of the matter is that it reflects poorly on the POSTER, not the one on the receiving end. We should all take everything with a ton of salt, consider the source, and walk away. Attempts to "defend" oneself only lead toward the abyss. Wheets, if you're an old man in Paraguay, can I be a shepherd in Tuscany?

Dody, you are absolutely out of line. Stop attacking. Now.

Hi Bright! Nice to hear from you. :scalesno: The good news is that your test showed barium flowing through the band, rather than pooling in a distended pouch or otherwise going where it's not supposed to go. Sounds like you don't have much restriction, but that's better than too much! Good luck with your surgeon, and I hope he gets back to you soon. Frustrating, I know, but you're healthy!! :hug:

How about Life In Maintenance?

Clam chowder. Ice cream. I'm alone tonight, can ya tell?

Pnut, does your screen really say that? I've been getting some very weird things through the site, but that would top my issues.

Nancy, attendance at our meetings is very irregular, too. I don't think it's anything to worry about; when people need support they'll be there. 8 is a good number, it seems to me--everyone has time to talk and the participants can get to know one another. When our meetings started sometimes there were only two or three people in attendance! Now we typically get between 6 and 20 or so, never more than that even though our doctors' office has done hundreds of bands. One thing you might try is having the doctors you work with tell preops about your meetings. We often have people come who are thinking about being banded and want to meet bandsters face to face. And while scheduling topics or visitors (such as personal trainers, therapists, nutritionists, etc.) always sounds great, it seems like at our meetings there never enough time to just chat.

One of the options you have is to download them as text and save them to your own computer. Once you've done that, you can delete them. Just moving them to another folder here on LBT doesn't free up any space, I'm afraid.

I can feel the green-eyed monster coming... Congratulations!

Time to lock this puppy.

So the problem is with your own computer's settings. Are you at work?

Except for the typo :cool: , I agree with this 100%. It's best not to dissect other posters at all, whether they're here or not. Thanks.

Hee hee! That little boy of mine is named Catie! :cool: Guess we have to let her hair grow a bit longer and break out the pink clothes. :biggrin1:

Thank you so much for sharing your photos, Aussie Chick! You will definitely have inspired some people here. You look wonderful and I know you will be SO happy you had this surgery. Good luck with the drain removal! I must say that does look awful. How does anyone go about their daily business with those things in? Or did you have to stay home during this recovery phase?

Wow, no access to a doctor until 2008?? That would sure give me pause about getting a fill. In fact, if you feel any restriction at all I'd say it's good to leave it alone. You're a brave woman. Seriously, I am so impressed.

Thanks so much y'all!! The last three years doesn't really feel like it's gone by quickly, exactly, since so much else has happened during that time (two young children, ya know). But I can remember pre-band days VERY well, especially when I look at those pictures. It's absolutely amazing to me that this little band of silicone could give me what nothing else I've ever tried could deliver--a chance at a normal life. I want to cry when I look at the 11-year-old me. And now I have some inkling how my parents must have felt.

I pasted together a few pix of where I came from and now where I am. The shot of me in the upper left corner here is at age 11, which will give you some idea of my lifelong battle. The rest of the top row were taken between 2000 and 2003. All the shots in the bottom row were taken in the last couple of months.

Wow, I JUST this second realized that today is my three-year bandiversary. I don't have anything profound to say except that the band has saved my life and possibly my sanity. I've lost 130 lbs from my highest weight, and though I'm right now back up a few I have no doubt that my weight is now under control in a way that has never in my life been possible before. I'm still out of control sometimes, as evidenced by the giant bowl of ice cream I just finished, but my weight is not because the band keeps these episodes from being my primary form of eating. Earlier this week I had what I hope will be my last fill ever; I had been completely empty for several months after a bad period of reflux and now I have .8 ccs in my 4cc band. Except for two unfills to deal with reflux, I've had no complications at all from surgery or banding. My capacity and hunger are greatly diminished from where they were pre-band, and that is all I have ever wanted my band to do. I am one very, very happy camper. I'm going to look for a recent picture but I don't think I've changed much since I last posted last summer. Just wanted to acknowledge the day! :biggrin1: