MeganA

HE HAS MONO! The poor guy is so sick..he has been sleeping for twenty hours a day and has to go to the doctor today to have more blood drawn and if his white blood count isn't up today they'll hook him up to some IV's. I've been kind of a wreck this past weekend...I guess I have a lot more baggage than I thought. Even though I intellectually know that he's really sick, I've felt like he was pulling away and I got so scared. I'm better now...nothing a night out on the town with one of my friends and a good therapy session can't cure. I am such an all or nothing, black and white person that I can jump to concusions really easily. My mind is like a crazy monkey jumping around. I can be such a control freak that I try to predict the future so I can get out quick if it looks like I'm going to get hurt. I had two snickers candy bars yesterday. I wonder if I'm eating for emotional reasons? :-) I have decided I just need to get busy doing other things and give him a chance to get better and to try to just chill the hell out. Easier said than done, but I'm working on it and staying out of the candy aisles at the grocery store. Megan

I'd watch anything with a lot of acid in it for a while. I couldn't even drink pineapple juice or eat tomatoes for awhile after being banded... Now I drink wine or vodka cranberries if I go out and have no problems with either. I was drinking vodka sours but the sour has a little carbonation in it and that doesn't work now that I'm filled tighter. Megan

You responded right as I finished typing my last post so now I'll try to answer your new questions. I highly doubt that your doctor or his/her staff are treating you any different than any other bandster. Most surgeons believe in sneaking up to the right fill level. They don't want you to be too tight out of the shoot for many reasons. Most doctors continue to fill you throughout the first year, and into the second year. There are some theories on why we continue to need fills...one is that the stomach has swelling for over a year after surgery so as the swelling goes down, you have less restiction. Also, as you loose weight, you lose fat around the stomach. I'm sure there are more, but you get the idea. PBing is something to be expect but avoided. As you gain restriction, you will find that you can't always predict how things will go down. I know that you drink milk, but have you noticed that even skim milk is 90 calaries a serving? That means that you could easily drink 1000 calories a day in milk if you drank 8 glasses of milk instead of Water. Just something to think about. There is something you said that I want to comment on. YOu said: "I certainly feel I deserve to" when you talked about suffering. NO ONE DESERVES to suffer. You are not a bad person because you have a disease. You deserve mostly pain free success- just like the rest of us. It sounds like you may have some old tapes playing in your head that might need to be addressed on your journey. We all do/did. You're going to be ok. It will get easier. Megan

Your body is fighting like crazy to stay fat. As you lower your food intake, it in turn lowers your metabolism. I know this, because I am a very slow loser and have significantly cut my calories but still lose just a little at a time. Although the scale might not be moving like you think it should, you are already healthier...eating less, drinking less milk, etc. If you can eat pizza, you probably need a fill...once you get some real restriction you'll be amazed at how much less you eat. Being banded is mostly about patience and small steps. You're well on your way...heck, you already lost 40 pounds!! Yippee! You lost 10% of your starting weight! If you were at weightwatchers you would have gotten a keychain. Maybe you should buy yourself a cute keychain that will remind you of your success. Megan

I just discovered Sex and the City (ok, I was living under a rock) and I LOVE it. I like to watch an episode or two every night before I go to bed. I should try that on him...he would think it was funny. He is very fun..if you know what I mean. Kathy- I like Mr. Ripley the best so far. And your George needs a capital G, huh :-) M

Well it's about damn time! I'm so glad to hear it's really, really closed now. M

After half an hour I finally found it. I'm so happy for her. She really deserves to be happy. I am constantly amazed at how the band changes people's lives. Way to go Shelly!!! Megan

Thanks everyone. What a great place to share good news. ...and yes Alexandra- the bad guys leave an impression. Hopefully time will help me figure all of this out. Lisa! No, I haven't named it yet...any more suggestions? Btw- things are fantastic in that arena. Let's just say he isn't at all selfish. :-) Megan

I CAN"T FIND IT...someone help me! Shelly- come and tell us!!! Megan

I HATE SUSPENSE. Do you think she's engaged? Maybe she won the lottery. Or maybe it's that she's pregnant with quintuplets. yeah, that's probably it. Never leave me in suspense...my imagination goes nuts. Megan

Hee hee. Naked avitars? Honey... not all of me would fit in that little square. Might be fun to try though. M

Keep your eye on the prize, Lisa :-) Megan

I just discovered something...if I take pills (even big fish oil ones!) with milk they slide right down...but if I take them with Water they almost always get stuck somewhere and eventually go down. It doesn't hurt when they get stuck, just is uncomfortable. Just thought I'd share. Even after a year and a half I'm still learning! Megan

I wonder if we are missing people who may be interested in posing because the title of this thread is only about Lisa...can someone change it? Can I ? Someting like- Hang in there Lisa and New fundraiser idea. Or maybe we should start a new thread. I am LBT slow. Megan

OHHH I'm going to be a naughty pilgrim!!! A little corn here, a little pumpkin there...oh how fun! Megan

Oh my gosh I've been meaning to update everyone. Thanks for asking, Lisa. Things are fantastic. The guy just does everything right. For example- he's totally allergic to my cats and has tried a bunch of allergy medicine and some work ok...but Monday he told me that he is going to the allergist today to see what else he can do. This really means a lot to me...and I find myself thinking that it just can't be real that this great a guy is so into me, and I'm into him, too! We have a lot in common, and can sit and talk and talk and talk...and laugh...oh how my cheeks hurt sometimes. I get an email from him every morning wishing me a good morning. He usually calls me at lunch to check in, and if we aren't doing something in the evening, I usually get an email saying goodnight. I love that one of you brought up the whole "have you seen his house, etc" issue. That's what true girlfriends do for each other- a little reality is good for a girl. That comment really made me think, and so I asked him if I was ever going to see his house. So, we have a date Thursday to go to a movie and then I'm going to go over to his house and meet his roomates. I asked him if they might make fun of him for dating a bigger girl (some guys friends are real pigs!) and he said, "heck no, they'll probably want your phone number". I feel very safe with him...every time I've had a concern he's been open to it and honest in his reply. I was worried that he was still looking on match.com (can you tell I worry a lot?????) and so I wrote him an email and asked him. I said that I had noticed that he was still active on match.com, and that I had gotten a few emails but hadn't done anything about it. But I was wondering if he was still looking? And he wrote back. "I've gotten a few emails myself but haven't done anything about them either and my membership is up at the end of this month and I won't be renewing it". I've found that my past relationships have made me a little more cynical than I thought. I keep looking for a lie or a manipulation but so far he's totally clean. It's amazing that a crappy, bad relationship with a two-timing loser feels more normal to me than this one does at the moment. I know what to do with a guy that plays around..I don't know what to do with one who shows me respect, kindness, and unselfishness. Isn't that just sad? I'm learning though...and I have to say I will never accept that kind of bullshit ever again. So anyway...that's my update. Anyone want to know more details...I'm an open book :-) Megan

Wait, I'm too young to be a Mrs. Claus. How about a naughty elf? M

I want a month! Which ones aren't taken? Would someone with superior organizational skills please put together a month listing and who is assigned to that month? If no one has December I want it so I can dress up like a naughty Mrs. Claus. Megan

I forgot to mention that Penni- some pills shouldn't be taken with milk...check with your pharmacist or dr. Good catch, Nurse Penni. Wait, aren't you supposed to be resting your eyes???? Megan

I've been thinking about you all day Lisa...and trying to put myself in your position but I just don't think I really understand everything you've gone through. I just hate the idea of you without a band...sure, your results haven't probably been what you expected by now (mine sure aren't and I have a port and no teethmark scar, even). But you still are a success in my book, and from everyone else's comments here, in their's too. I just think if you can get over this rough patch you'll be see the silver lining. You still have a band that restricts you. You aren't gaining weight back. You have some control over your eating. You fit into smaller clothes and get new attention from strangers. You've proven to yourself- and us- how strong you can be when you need to be. I wonder if you've had to be so strong for so long that it's time to take some time to grieve and rest and be sad. I would think it would be perfectly normal at this point. You'll get through this and your story will inspire those who are just starting out, and those of us who have ports that need moving, tubing that leaks, or a band that is tough to adjust. I hope you've seen by this thread that you are a very well supported friend to a lot of pretty nice folks. Megan

Norma... I'm so glad to hear that things are ok with your band and the port. Thanks for letting us know...you've been on my mind. It sounds like you are really learning a lot about yourself and your attitude is sure great. If you can make it through the rough patch you're going to do terrific! Heck, you already ARE doing terrific! Oh- and to keep the nighttime hunger at bay, I usually have a glass of milk before I go to bed. Megan

Glad to hear you are on the mend and that surgery went well. Rest those eyes! Megan

I'm game...I call I get the bigger swedish band to pose in back of. I need all the help I can get. M

Way to go Kara...I love your attitude! Megan

***WARNING**** Tough love ahead...read with caution if you are sensitive... Norma... What you are going through is normal. If you are just a few weeks out of surgery you are in the WORST part...it gets easier after this. The farting goes away...you get used to those stomach noises and actually enjoy them because although it is growling, you don't feel hungry. You know that when you hear those noises, your body is burning fat for fuel. You can hear yourself losing weight. You need to buck up and toughen up sister. I know you are struggling and scared and feel all weird...but this is truly your chance to find out what you are made of. I'm afraid that with your current attitude, if you have your band removed you'll feel like an even bigger failure and eat your way up the scale. I'm a year and a half out. I have to struggle to remember the hard times because they don't last very long, and losing weight feels so good. So...there's my tough love for the evening. You can do this...it's worth the pain and the farts and the discomfort. Those things are fleeting...the weightloss is not. Megan