debbiek1

I love ebay. it is a great place to find neat stuff. those items will help you a lot during your soft and mushy stage. i am kind of lucky because i dont have any close family, except my son, here in columbus. so i didnt have to worry about disapproving relatives. my life is a open book. i cant keep a secret. and so everyone i meet knows within 5 minutes. everyone at work knows and when anyone tells me i am looking good i tell them it is because i had surgery. i am sure some of them talk about me behind my back because that is just the way they are at work. but i dont care. everytime i look in the mirror i know i did the right thing for me! some people out there dont want to see us get thin. it threatens them. so if someone close disapproves dont let that effect your decision. you and only you has to lug around that extra 100 pounds. they dont feel your aches and pains. about lunch--i am flexible. before or after the holidays is okay with me.

special k--congratulations on getting all your ducks in a row! and congrats on getting the smileys to work.

i have not used smileys. lets see if it works:clap2: about the ticker. i cant really remember how i got that to work. Thinner Me is the one that explained that one to us. but i think you copy it to your signature. you can edit your signature up at the top of the page under USER CP hope that helps.

Congratulations! Special K is on her way!!

Ps---I just took a look at my ticker and realized i am HALF way to my goal!!! It helps to be tall. but i think at 5'10" i will look pretty good at 175. i wont be model thin but i will be a pretty hot grandma!

looks like everyone is up early and ready to go! I am taking it easy today. I am down in cincinnati visiting my friend and lounging around. maybe will hit a thrift store or two later. To all of you in the paperwork stages---this is the hardest part of the whole process. but it, too, will pass. it is a good thing i had more hair then because i was ready to pull it out a few times. sometimes it felt like it would never get done. i wanted to be skinny by summer and i wanted it NOW!!!! All i can say is just be patient, but also be persistent. if you feel something is taking way too long then call and follow up on it. the squeaky wheel always gets the grease. Special K--about the psychologist visit. mt carmel gave me three recommendations. i chose the one that was in my ins plan, but i still had to pay up front and then be reimbursed. You can use any psychologist you want, though, it doesnt matter to them as long as he clears you for the surgery. and in my opinion the only way anyone wouldnt get a psychological clearance would be if they had anerexia or some other eating disorder. Lady--i would love to get together some saturday and meet everyone. Polaris works for me.

TM--i will try the Nourishair. i just looked it up and it gets good reviews. thanks for the tip.

eleven Months!!!!! i Will Be Yul Brynner By Then!!!!

hi, special k. if i remember correctly i filled out my paperwork and sent it in right after the december 15 seminar. it took about 10 days to get a reply. then i had to schedule a psychologist appt and the nutritionist. i couldnt get in to see the nutritionist till february. and after that initial visit with her she makes you go to a nutrition class. there was so much hair on my comb today that i gasped! i am just sick over this.

i bought some biotin today. also got some pantene pro v texture mousse and the full and thick hairspray. decided i would try a little of both. the mousse has wax in it. now i feel like my hair weighs a ton. but it does look a little thicker. i am sure wasabubblebutt is right but i have to do something. today when i combed my hair there was more on the comb than i have ever seen in my life.

my hair is falling out!!! yikes that is the good thing about this forum. after reading other posts it turns out that many people start losing it 4 months after surgery. so i am right on schedule. unfortunately. my hair has always been on the thin side. i have to wash it every day and the drain is clogged every day. my trash can is full of hair wads. it is really scaring me because my poor mom has been bald all her life. they say it starts to grow back around 6 months. i hope so. but in the mean time, i may make a visit to a local wig shoppe. Lady---you are about 4 months out--have you noticed any hair loss?

pregnancy vitamins sound good. i dont think those chewable centrum or flintstones pack enough punch. i take a large more powerful vitamin. it is soft so i either chew it or swallow it in bites. yuck. it tastes like a petsmart smells. does anyone know how much a good wig from a wig shop costs? some people say wearing a wig makes your hair fall out even more. is that true? i cant afford a weave. either money or time wise. my roots are coming in and i am afraid to dye it now. this just sucks. i keep thinking of lynette on desparate housewives. i dont think my BF will like my wig slipping off when we are in bed!!!

i have to get some of this biotin. i hope it is not in big pill form. i take a large multivitamin--i break it up. i take sublingual B and chewable calcium and liquid fish oil. according to the other posts, i am right on schedule. 4 months after surgery it started to fall out. i hope it comes back on schedule too. i have to wash my hair every day. the drain is full. my trash can looks like sasquatch lives here!!

it seems i am right on schedule. i had the surgery 6/13 and now 4 and 1/2 months later my hair is falling out like crazy. everytime i think it is stopping it starts back with a vengeance. it really scares me because my mom has been bald since she was in her 30s and i always thought i had dodged that bullet. i thought maybe i had inherited my dads hair--he died with a full head. mine has never been thick but it has always been decent and normal. i will try that pantene hairspray.

I am losing hair like crazy. it is starting to scare me. obviously or i wouldnt have searched for "hair loss" and found this thread!! i cant believe it is from my diet. if that were the case half of america would be bald, too. i eat very healthy. my thyroid levels are fine. some have said it is a result of the anesthesia--this has given me some encouragement. but if it continues i am going to a wig shop. but if being thin means being bald and wearing a wig--i guess it is worth it.

there are two qvc stores. one in west chester, pa which is near philadelphia. the other is in the mall of america in minnesota. my friend said there is also an outlet in lancaster, pa where they sell all the returned stuff. that is where i want to go next. this is my favorite time of year to watch qvc because they have all the neat gift ideas on. the only problem is i just keep buying stuff for ME!!

yes, dr choban did mine. there is a nurse that does them, too.

yes, she numbs you around the port. so you feel that shot but then you dont feel anything when she actually does the fill. it was pretty easy. easier than that first fill that they do with the flouroscopy. that one is harder because you are standing up. this one is done while you lay down. they make you drink a glass of water before you leave. so all those horror stories you read about people getting home and cant even hold down water are not repeated here at at mt carmel. i had soup for dinner and have felt nice and full all night. now i am looking forward to getting back on the weight loss express!!!!

Sue--yes, i have to be very careful to chew meat. meat is the only thing that gives me a problem. if i mix it up with lots of vegetables it is better. or if it is in soup that is okay. meat is the only thing that has gotten stuck and it has passed in a few minutes. i did get sick once from eating too much. but that was only once. and it was kind of like i had a stomach ache. that was the only time i ever PBed, too. i really never forget that i have the band. but i am always glad that it is there. it is like my security blanket, now. I go see choban tomorrow. i am wondering if these things will change when i get another fill. that kind of scares me, because up to now things have been great. but i have only lost 5 pounds this month so i need some more stricture. i would like to have lost a hundred pounds by my birthday in april. we will see.

Sue--so that piece of bad news was really good news!!! great. i told you not to lose hope. i was never diagnosed with sleep apnea but i snored a lot. but on the trip last week my BF and i had to sleep together(which we usually dont do) and he said i wasnt snoring!!! looks like we can sleep together from now on!!! i have to call chobans office and ask if when i go in on the 1st if i will get a fill that day or just schedule one. the last time i was there i didnt want one but for some reason i got the impression i wouldnt have gotten one then anyway. but this time i need one. the last couple days i have been back to my old ways of eating "mass quantities" i am afraid to weigh myself. i will just stick to my 241.5. i dont want to see the scale go back up. i am at work right now and am afraid to admit i just ate a whole bag of candy corn that i brought in for the candy dispenser. I just have no self control!!

attendance is falling off here. i was away all week on vacation. i didnt lose any weight but the good news is that i didnt gain any either. that is not bad after riding in a car for hours at a time each day and eating at restaraunts all week. i think i will get an adjustment when i go see dr choban on the 1st. i have been feeling hungry more often. i will be glad to get back to a regular routine, though, even if that means back to work. we went for a bike ride this morning. i havent ridden in a month. it just about killed me. BTW my BF and i made up. so all is right in the world again. it was a good learning experience for me. i was taking him for granted and not giving our relationship the attention that it needed. and now that i am thinner i feel much sexier. while on vacation my girlfriend and i went on a tour of the QVC studios. they have a store there. i spent a crapload on jewelry!!! but it sure was fun.!!!!

sue--sorry, but i am just saying that you should not give up even if you cant get the surgery. hopefully, you will get it. you are still in good health and you want to keep it that way.

my doctor made me beg for it last year. but at that point i was willing to beg. my knees were killing me and so were my feet. i could barely walk--it felt like i was walking in pudding. when i would come into work everyone would ask me "whats the matter" my only reply used to be "this is what happens when you weigh 300 pounds and have to walk" i am so happy to have the old debbie back!!! I didnt think i would ever get her back!!! Dorothy--you can reverse it, too!!!

dorothy--my handicapped sticker expires at the end of this month--and guess what? i am not renewing it!!!

that is awful. try to remain positive. you have nothing to lose if you appeal, so go ahead and fight the good fight. but by all means, dont let this effect your health. after all you are 62 and you are in good shape. so even if you have to lose weight the old fashioned way, you still have your health!! your fate is still in your hands--you havent gone over the brink yet into diabetes land or heart attack ville!!!