StacyinDE

Chickie, I do agree with you completely on this. I know our situation is different but my son is well aware of calories and what they are and how you "burn them up" and understands what that means. He knows about portion control and how much is too much and he is well versed in all of the food groups and what foods are healthy and what foods are not. Most kids his age don't have a clue, even the ones with weight issues. Many kids think nothing of using their lunch money to buy multiple sodas, Desserts and candy with. I've seen it as a lunch mom time and time again, but that is a whole other issue with what kids have access to in the school cafeteria. Though I have to say there's usually always a healthy alternative offered though not necessarily chosen.

The Nemours (A.I. Dupont) Children's Hospital here in Delaware is creating a Lap-Band program through their Weight Loss Clinic. I found out about this because my son is a patient there. They apparently are partnering or being funded in some way for a research study with the FDA to do lap bands on 13 year olds - that is the age group specified for them to work with. The Dietician I spoke with about this said the children do have to be at least 100 pounds overweight to be considered and there is extensive counseling and nutritional education to be involved. She brought it up to me at our last visit a few weeks ago. My son is not a candidate, though he at 8 years old has asked if he can get a "rubber band" around his stomach too so he can lose weight like mommy. He is currently about 60 pounds overweight at 4'9" and 136 pounds. I disagree with the generalization that having an overweight child is because you are a "bad" parent. I am in no way a bad parent and I have an obese child. My son's weight gain is from medication (anti-convulsants, anti-anxiety/psychotic medications, steroids and corticosteroids) and from his chronic severe health conditions. He has permanemnt damage to his lungs resulting in chronic asthma (which is also exercise-induced) and he has damage to his brain (bands, and bands of damaged tissue throughout his brain). He was a normal weight and proportionate until he was 3 years old and started on the anticonvulsants. Even with the steroids and corticosteroids his weight was maintanable and in a normal range until then - he has been on them since birth. He has been under the care of multiple doctors since his birth and I was warned about the weight he would gain because of the medications he is on and his limited ability to exercise and be active because of his severe asthma. Will he be a candidate at age 13 or more? I don't know. Would I consider it for him at that age, again, I don't know. The determination will be his physical and mental health (because of the epilepsy and brain damage he has a mood/behavior disorder) and if the benefits of the surgery would outweigh the risks. As a parent of a child in this situation, and having been banded myself, it is comforting to know that it *might* be an option for my son. I am hoping that we can continue to manage his weight through diet and exercise but that has not been working as well as we would like. His conditions are chronic and he will be on these medications for the rest of his life. Losing the weight he carries in his abdomen would absolutely help with his asthma and breathing difficulties not to mention his self confidence. Kids can be very cruel and they don't understand that he is different because he cannot help it, not by choice. He doesn't look "sick" so they, like the rest of society tends to do, just assume he has no self control and eats and eats and eats and has a weight problem. It's a difficult situation for any child to be in and whatever reason put them there, my heart goes out to all of them.

I was banded in Newark, Delaware by Dr. Irgau.

Tried to edit and it wouldn't let me. . . .I'm 37, duh! Won't be 38 till September. :bounce:

Hey Beachgirl, I thought it was just me feeling that way, lol! I'm 38 and nervous as can be about going back to school with a bunch of 18 year olds. Though having lost some of the excess weight, I'm feeling more confident in myself. I'm currently a hospital employee and they will reimburse me for all of my schooling so it's now or never, I won't get a better opportunity than this! Good for you, getting back in the game and going for what you want! You CAN do it and you will do great!! Best of luck to you!

I am still stuck at 200, grrrrr! :faint: I so want to be in Onederland! Kim - Wow! You go girl, look at you Ms. 187! Great job! :clap2::clap2: Jsrico - Welcome and wow, you too, only 9 more pounds, you're doing great! Leona06 - Don't you just want to toss that scale out the window when that happens!! :heh: You're so close! You can do it! Jen - Don't give up! You can do this! It's tough, I am feeling ya on that, just try to take it one bite at a time. We all hit set backs and road blocks, that's just part of this journey. You're not failing, you just took a detour, so let's get back on track and make better food choices, you are so worth it! You're only 15 pounds away, you can definitely do this!! Look how close you've gotten, you're almost through that door to Onederland, c'mon Jen, you can do it!!!!!! rms76845 - Welcome! clynnc and Metalband - Way to go guys, you did it! Congratulations!! :clap2::clap2: jacqui - Great news on the test results, I'm very happy for you! :clap2: Okay everyone, take care and I hope to see all of us in Onederland soon!!

Scotty, Hi there! Welcome to LBT and congrats on your surgery! Hope you continue to do well! Nancy - Hope all went well with your surgery and you have a quick recovery! skurvymonster - Congrats on the band date and welcome to you too! Take care!

How could I forget. . . .the underwire from my bra digs into my ribs now, cuz, I have ribs!!!!!!!!! And, I'm happy about this, lol! :clap2:

I am down 58 pounds and. . *Like TerriDoodle. . . .My boobs stick out further than my stomach now!! *Down to a DD without breast redction surgery - yeehaw! *Diabetes is gone / no more meds *Blood pressure is back in the low normal range *I fit in the rides at the kids amusement park this year!!!!!! Last year I couldn't ride with my kids because I was too big! *Sex is MUCH better *I have hip bones!! Who woulda thunk it?!?! *My rings are too big, can't wear them any more *sleep apnea is gone and so is the C-Pap machine!! *I almost have collar bones *I only have one chin now!! *I can wear an XL shirt rather than a 3x *I wear a 16/18 pants instead of a 26/28 *I have never lost this much weight in my life and KEPT IT OFF!!!! *I will get to enjoy my kids because I will be here for them *I am no longer morbidly obese *My boobs (and the rest of me) now fit comfortably in the restaurant booths. . . . and still have extra room!! :whoo: *I have more confidence *I can walk up stairs and not be out of breath and exhausted *I can run up stairs if I want to, just because I CAN!! *I am no longer the biggest person in the room at work meetings *I am almost in ONEDERLAND!!! *I am MUCH healthier and happier than I was 7 months ago Okay, that's it for now, I'm sure I'll be back with more. These are fantastic and super inspirational posts!!!

Lepez, I deleted the e-mail with the link in it, but I checked out the link that Jeni85 posted and it has a lot of the same information. I'm with Wasabubblebutt. . .I don't think I'd be volunteering for that anytime soon. Theoretically it sounds good but I think I'd be afraid to trust it, and yeah, I would want to make sure all the kinks were out of it. I did read somewhere today that they're testing it in Canada too. Me, I'll just stick with my VG band. It's been working pretty well so far.

I have the big VG band. I didn't care which one I got as long as I got banded. I figure my surgeon is the expert and will give me one that will work for me. The new band you may be referring to could be the "Easyband" that they are using now in parts Europe. It is not approved in the U.S. yet. Apparently it uses some type of electronic telemetry to adjust itself, no ports, no fills, but apparently a lot of issues with it, and again, not approved for use in the U.S. I believe Inamed just bought the rights to it if I remember correctly. I think if you google the UK and then maybe Telemetric Adjustable Gastric Band it will come up. Someone had sent me the link but I deleted it. I think it is being called the (TAGB). The only other "new" band I know of is the newly released AP band that Faithmd mentioned. Hope this helps!

My doc has me do 24-hours of Fluid then 24-hours of mushies and then back to normal. I think that's a pretty normal requirement. They are concerned with swelling right after a fill and don't want you go get anything stuck or irritate your pouch. Some people swell after a fill, but not everyone does. Hope this helps! :car:

I guess I'm pretty lucky because my surgical group here really pushes the band, although they still do quite a lot of bypasses, it seems to be more on the very morbidly obese patients. When I went in for my consult, my doc explained both procedures equally and then we discussed my medical conditions and his recommendation for me was the band. I originally had thought I wanted the bypass, but after he explained to me why the band would be better for me, I went with that and am very glad I did. I think that there are certain medical reasons that the bypass works better for some people and it's the same for the band. But, you really need a surgeon who knows his or her stuff and can explain to you which one will work best with YOUR medical conditions. It is very individual and there are a lot of factors involved. I would say go in with an open mind and armed with lots of questions and go from there. Hopefully you'll have a great surgeon who is also open-minded towards the band and will help you make the best decision for you! Good luck!

Dynamomini, Victoriana and Travelbug -- Congratulations, you made it!!! Great job ladies!! :whoo: Doing the happy dance for ya's!! I am stuck at 204, have been for a few weeks - bleck! Oh well, I'm closer than I have been in oh, say, 25 years!! I'm considering another small fill, but I'm getting pretty close to being full so I'm not sure yet, will talk to my doc at my appointment next week. Am just plodding along, trying to join you guys in Onderland! (Travelbug -- I made myself the same promise, if I can just get to 200 I'll get my butt in gear and start exercising every day if it kills me, lol!!) Hope everyone is doing well! Talk to you ladies later and keep up the great work, you're all inspirations to us Onderland-wannabe's!! :clap2:

When I went to the Tanita website I saw all the professional ones and they were definitely very high dollar. They make a line for use at home, which is one of the ones I ordered from Target. It's just a basic digital scale and I am hoping it is the same quality as the professional medical ones the make as far as being accurate and dependable. It should be here early next week so we'll see. I really don't need all the bells and whistles but I would like to get on it at least twice and see the same weight show up! :faint: Oh, and not 4 pounds heavier than I should be, uck, what a bummer, I almost had a heart attack at that! My family found it amusing though. . . kids. . . gotta love em.

. . . .and I'm taking it back! I spent $60 on a Homedics glass, digital scale that measures your body fat, hydration and something else, and I'm not sure about the body fat and hydration measurements but the weight is anywhere from 2.5-4 pounds heavier than it should be. I have been using my other digital scale (on loan from mom) that is right on with the doctor's scales and then using the new one and my weight varies every time, even with getting on, off, back on a few minutes later, it can vary anywhere from 2-4 pounds - I never get the same reading twice! I asked on another group I'm on about ths very thing and the Tanita brand scale came highly recommended so I just ordered the plain bladk Tanita digital scale online from Target for $25 ($30 with shipping) and I'm taking the Homedics scale back to Linens-N-Things and getting my $60 back. To me, that's way to much to pay for a scale that's not accurate! My mom's scale is a "Borg" and if this Tanita doesn't work out, I'll see if I can find one like mom's -- though she has a much older model. Hope this helps!

Hi, I am wondering, since being banded have any of you developed really bad leg cramps? You know, the wake you up out of sleep, can't kick off the covers, muscles totally locked up so you can't even walk on it kind of cramps? I just started having these, and man do they HURT!! My calf is sore for a few days after, it feels like I got mule-kicked or something! I am starting to wonder if I'm lacking something in my diet to cause this? If it keeps up I'll call my doctor and ask about it, but thought I'd throw it out here first and see if anyone else has had this happen. Thanks, in advance, for any replies!

Hi Marie! WooHoo!! There are three of us on here from DE! I'm in the Prices Corner area, where are you in Wilmington?

xraychic, My aunt just got the 4cc band on May 1st, she is a little over 9 weeks out and has just had her second fill (1 cc first time - no restriction at all; 1 cc the second time) so she is at 2 cc in her band and is just now starting to feel restriction with solids. I have an 11 cc band and have had 5 fills (to 9.5 cc) and have pretty good restriction. It varies quite a bit per person. Don't let this nurse bully you, make them work with you and your band! If she is rude to you, complain to the doc or office manager, that is unacceptable on her part. You went through a lot to get this band, it is only fair to you and your family that your doctors office help you utilize it to the fullest extent. Push for another fill; if they are RNY advocates, you may have to work a little harder or be more firm, but they should be there to help and support you on your journey! Good luck!

I am so happy to be able to say goodbye to my C-Pap machine! I saw my Pulmonologist today and she discontinued my C-Pap - woo!hoo! :whoo::clap2::whoo::clap2: I am down 54 pounds, my diabetes is gone, my blood pressure is normal and she said she is 99% sure my sleep apnea is gone! I have to admit I haven't been using it faithfully, I kept feeling like I couldn't breathe and ripping the mask off in the middle of the night for the past few months! But now, I don't have to worry about it because I don't have to use it anymore!!!!!! :whoo::clap2::whoo: I'm just a little excited, can you tell? :eyebrows: I just wanted to share my good news with people who would understand!

Hi Dawn! Thanks! Heh, gotta love those air leaks and tangled hoses, lol! :faint: I'll bet you do lose enough to ditch your machine before the end of the year, and then we'll do a happy dance :whoo::clap2::whoo: for you too, lol -- heck we can throw a tossing out the C-pap party! I'll bring the margaritas! :hungry:

Honestly, shy may be in a fair amount of denial. I denied my weight gain for a LONG time. Sure, I was overweight and could stand to lose a few pounds... HOLY CRAP I NEED TO LOSE ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY POUNDS!!!! It was a bit of a shock when I MADE myself see what I looked like, how much I weighed and what was "normal". This may be a part of it. She is definitely in denial about her size and I don't think she is being honest about her weight or diet either. She is a twin and her sister is at least 30 pounds smaller than her and wears a smaller size; they are constantly in competition and she seems to feel that if she can get in a smaller size (whether it zips or not) it fits. Unfortunately, it looks like she is about to burst out of her clothes because she refuses to get a bigger size. I had a friend in high school who was bigger than me, so I figured I was 'okay' if I stayed smaller than her... her and I both gained weight proportionately over the years, I was still smaller than her tho, maybe your friend feels something like this? I'm sure this is part of it too. I was ALWAYS the "fat" one in the group, weighing at least 50 pounds or more than everyone else. The rest of our friends don't have a problem with my weight loss or the surgery, and are very supportive and complimentary. But, I'm not the fattest anymore. Our friends say that if we stand together, she is much bigger than I am. Of course, my mental image hasn't changed yet so I still see myself 50 pounds heavier and think the rest of my friends are nuts, lol! I hope it can get worked out, I've lost alot of friendships for various reasons, mostly that most of the friends I've had are still living the same lives they lived in high school (10 years later), and it drives me nuts! but all of the friendships lost for whatever reason hurt. Thank you! I hope we can work it out too - it's a lifelong friendship I would hate to have end over jealousy. Our kids are friends, and it's a shame she is so bitter right now. It's to the point none of the rest of our friends even invite her to parties or outings because she is so negative and unhappy even around her kids and they don't want her around THEIR kids! It does hurt too, she was really excited before I had the surgery. . . . .until you could "see" I lost weight. Maybe it has to do with me getting more attention now. Maybe she is jealous because I fade into the woodwork less now? I don't know. Right now I'm just giving her time and space as she needs it. There's not much else I can do. Thanks again for the support and kind words. I hope everything is okay too with you and your mom! Take care!

Lee, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened with your marraige! I can't even imagine how painful that must have been for you. I have to say though, it sounds like it is definitely her loss! Thank you for sharing such personal information. You seem like a really nice guy and very down to earth. I'm glad you went through with the banding FOR YOU and are healthy and going strong! I'm sure your friends on the Gulf Coast will just be very excited to see you, period! Being healthy and happy will be an extra bonus for you and for them. Being happy with who you are on the inside and loving yourself is the first step towards truly being happy and even being at peace with yourself, and when you love yourself it shines through and opens you up to accept love from others. I have a feeling the ladies are going to beating down your door when they see *who* you really are, if they're not already! :eyebrows: Take care!

I've been shopping at Goodwill too! Same as Nathalie, not that I ever thought I would, but at $1 to $5 each for pants/shirts, dresses, whether it be dress or casual, I've found some really nice stuff! Many of the pieces I bought were never worn and still had the original store tags on them! I spent about $30 and got 8 shirts and 5 pairs of pants a few weeks ago -- you can't beat those prices!! :clap2: My local support group is doing a clothes swap so I'll be taking all of my "too big" clothes there and donating them. I was going to send them to Goodwill but I think I'll give them to some fellow LapBanders.

Lee, Good for you for doing all you can to get healthier and doing what's best for you! I know it has to be hard to not have a lot of support from your family, hopefully they will come around! I posted my jealousy situation on another thread a few weeks ago, but I'll repost it here on yours, here's my deal: I am currently having a situation with a lifelong friend who has always and forever been the "thin" one and now our roles are almost reversed (I am by no means "thin" yet but. . . .) she has been gaining steadily over the last several years and now we are within 10 pounds of each other. Her weight continues to go up and thankfully, mine is still going down. She is having a very hard time with this as she is supposed to be the the "thin" one, not me -- I'm supposed to stay fat, forever. It has, as you can imagine, really put a strain on our friendship. She claims to diet and exercise constantly but when we are together and there is food involved, she makes all of the wrong choices for "dieting" or eating healthy and tries to get me to do the same. She gets very aggravated when I tell her I can't eat the cheesesteaks, thick-crust pizzas, mega fries and strombolis anymore. I've tried to explain to her that it will get stuck and cause me tremendous pain, not to mention all the other fun stuff we go through when something clashes with our band! I'm not sure how this is going to work out, but right now, it doesn't look too good. I'm really hoping she can come to terms with her weight gain and not be so negative towards me for doing something that is improving my health. It has to be hard for her, having such a role reversal, and I know all too well how being overweight and unhappy feels.......I've had years and years of practice. I've offered to exercise with her, share recipes, whatever, but she's not interested. The thing that really got to her was when her 7-year-old said "mommy, Stacy is skinnier than you now, you're getting really fat!" I know that really hurt her feelings, too. I feel really bad for her because I know her struggle, but she doesn't want to work at losing weight together. I don't know, I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens. I posted this about a month ago and sadly, nothing has changed. I've lost a few more pounds and she has gained more and become more bitter. I'm almost afraid to bring up anything about weight loss or healthy eating because she bites my head off. We don't talk nearly as much as we used to and she gets really ticked off if our friends comment on my weight loss. We have definitely drifted further apart; it seems the more weight I lose the madder she gets. :faint: