nightingale2u

LOL... forgive me... I've been up since 3am... you mentioned your surgery date in your post... :ermm Best of health to you in regards to the banding and the no-smoking! Darcy

Hi La_Madam, Well I think today is Day 12... I stopped using the patch 3 days ago so it has been a little stressful... I've talked myself out of buying a pack more times than I care to count...lol. I may go and buy the lowest dose patch today just to ensure that I don't backslide... I've come too far to give up now! Luckily... I am not around anyone else that smokes... that must be tough... when I pass my closet I still swear there must be a piece of clothing in there that has been smoked in! Darcy

Hi Patty, Congratulations on such a great loss in such a short amount of time! The Wisconsin forum is not a terribly active one at this time but maybe we can give it a jump start! I'm a transplant to Wisconsin as well... was born and raised in California. I've been living in the Fox Valley area for about 8 years now so I guess I'm here to stay! I haven't been banded yet but hope to be soon! Have a very Happy Easter... We are off to visit family... Darcy

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Hiya Chantal... How are things going with the quitting????? By the looks of the board there are a lot of people that are saying goodbye to tobacco. Just think... WE are in the cool Non-smoking crowd now!!!!!!! No more going to the Dr. and hanging our head in shame when he asks... Do you smoke and how much... no more walking into a smokeless area and getting a big whiff of ourselves... no more shortness of breath other that what may really be attributed to weight... no more nasty cough... no more wrinkles caused by smoking... no more worried looks from those that love us... and no more beating ourselves up for smoking cause.YAH BABEEEEEE WE QUIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Day #11 DArcy

Fantastic Leo! You look wonderful! Reading your posts and Donali and Alexandra really reinforce my decision to be banded. I think this is a wonderful tool because it encourages slower and more healthful weight-loss and it stops the rollarcoaster ride of dieting. I think my heart would just literally break if I went on one more "diet" and worked my bunzzz off to lose a large amount of weight... only to GAIN it all back PLUS more! Seeing that the band has stopped that down and up cycle really makes it difficult to wait for banding. I'm off to peek at your website;) Darcy

Hiya Bob, Wishing you the best with your banding adventure! I'm still awaiting my surgery so looking foward to hearing of your experiences. Sheila... I hope for a recovery like yours! Darcy

Congratulations Sheila!!! Wishes to you for a speedy recovery and looking foward to hearing about your newly banded experiences! Darcy

Hi Chanell! THis is a great site that is very easy to navigate! I have learned so much here and the support is fantastic! 6 CHILDREN... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THe banding is a safer option than the Gastric Bypass surgery and it sounds like you have a family that needs and I'm sure loves you! Good luck as you start researching! Darcy

This is a little silly but my sister told me about all of her pre-op testing when she had the RNY and she mentioned one test that I sincerely hope I do not have to have with the banding. With the Pre-op testing for the band... do they generally do an arterial blood gas test? With this test they put a small needle straight down into the wrist to get an arterial blood sample. THis would not be on my list for fun things to do! :dead PAHLEEEESSSE say it isn't so.... Darcy

Hi Debra and Shelia... As with most tests I think it depends on the skill of the person that is doing it... BUT... since Jennye had her surgery with the same Dr. that I am having it with... it looks like I am not going to have to worry about it... YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! Take Care:D

Thanks Laura... that's a great idea. (o: I think that being free of the nasty old habit may be all I need to remember. I'm at day 10 and very proud of myself *patting self on back*! Sometimes I just think... Wow Darcy... you are really free of it... you are really doing it! I am going to switch to the lower dose patch once the ones I have are gone... it says to use them for 4-6wks... but I wasn't a heavy smoker to begin with. Thanks again to everyone for all of the well wishes and supportive words! Darcy

You made my day Jen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sending you a HUGE (((HUG)))!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll stop freaking now.:nervous My Artery and I thank you... Darcy

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! AH Baileym that is just exactly the answer I was not hoping for...lol. I've just seen that particular type of blood draw done too many times over my nursing career and I was really hoping it would be something I would NEVER have to endure... DANG. I guess I will just have to hope for an experience like yours ... I wonder if Dr. Chua would mind if I wnet to Michigan for my Arterial Blood Gas testing? Thanks for your honesty... I do like knowing what to expect. I swear... I am such a big baby! Darcy

Hiya Melissa, I am just starting the process here in WIsconsin with Dr. Chua. I think it is not the most efficient process but I will just have to be patient. I have seen the dietician and the psychologist and the bartiatric team meets today to review my case and hopefully approve me as a candidate for surgery. They both told me they would recommend me for the surgery so I guess it's just a matter of jumping through the hoops they have set up as a part of the process. After they approve... I can then make an appointment with the surgeon. I have seen that others have waited a week or more for the phone call to schedule that appointment ... not this girl. I'm calling them this afternoon. As I understand it... they do not send the paperwork into the insurance company until AFTER the consult with the surgeon... so the sooner I see him... the better. I am terrible at hoops and after spending so many years worrying and striving to meet patients needs... I am hoping I can get the same in return. What a dreamer I am. Lady in waiting... Darcy

Okay Chantal... with a major butt kicking hanging in the balance... how could I possibly not stick with this! You are awesome for sticking with it and I'm going to cling to that fact that you have made it 3wks without completely losing your mind. Thanks for the pep/kick butt talk! Hi Alexandra... thanks for the support you are and awesome part of this site... you've helped me feel very welcome here. Hiya Kathy... I'm sure you are absolutely right... what is there to regret??? Can't think of one good reason to smoke but can think of a million great reasons for quitting! :Bunny *taking a nice DEEP breath* Darcy

Well today is day eight... WOW... I can't believe that I stuck with it this long! Day 6 and 7 were the worst. I just have to do it this time... I can't tell ya how much I want to go buy a pack. How sad it is that something so icky has had so much control over me. I know my sense of smell is already improving and my lungs are trying to rid themselves of the built up crud now that they think I have really quit. I know I can do this... I know I can do this... but darn it... it is really tough. Darcy

Hi Melissa! Thanks for the email earlier today and congratulations on being so close to being banded! I imagine I will feel the same way once I have a date... right now I'm just trying to be patient as I wait:cross-eye WIshing you all the best with your surgery... keep us updated... the people on this site are very supportive and friendly and there is a lot of great info in the posts. Don't worry... be Happy! Gretat... WOW... I guess Monday is a good day afterall! Good luck with your surgery and keep us updated on how you are doing. I am really trying to be prepared for what to expect after the surgery and hearing from those that are newly banded really helps me feel more at ease and more prepared. Take Care... Kathy... Two weeks and it looks like you are doing terrific with your weight-loss already! Congratulations! THanks for sharing your post-op experiences... very helpful to those waiting in line. Darcy

Hi Everyone, I am in the process of creating a website for my family and to document my WLS journey. Keep in mind that it is a work in progress and some of the pages are not complete... well... most are not...lol. It was very hard for me to post my picture for all to see but hopefully I'll be able to update that picture in the following months after banding. This is link to my WLS page... http://home.new.rr.com/nightingalesnest/WLS_Journey.htm Darcy

Thanks Kelly! I just started the website so still will be adding more pictures of family on the other pages... if you hit the "home" button link and then go down to the list of pages on that home page... you click on the bird or the nest to see the pages... my hubby is on the fishy fishy page and my daughter's pic is on Em's LiL Corner. Take Care... Darcy

Hey Chantal... You have a great sense of humor too! It's kind of my feeling that being overweight forces a person to develop other facets of their personality in order to draw attention away from the "weight". It seems like it is also a characteristic that we make fun of ourselves to beat others to the punch... whatever it is... those that have had weight challenges seem to be the the greatest people I've been blessed to have known. Just imagine all of our personalities in thin bodies... WOW... watch out world. Darcy

Hiya Cakes! I'm so glad you found the site! Everyone here is very friendly and helpful and there is lots of good information in past posts. If you haven't already... you should go to the introduction forum and tell the folks here a bit about yourself. I mean... I know how wonderful and funny and brilliant you are... hehehehehe. Good luck gathering info on the banding and I hope that some of the sites I mentioned help you feel more comfortable about the procedure and closer to a decision that brings you peace of mind.... Love ya girl... ((((hugs)))) Darcy

Hi Leannie, Wow... that made me hungry just reading your post! Have you had it minus the PButter and bananas and mixed with just Water or ice? I really want to keep the calories down during the post-op period so that I can have a jumpstart loss if at all possible. Thanks so much for the information... Darcy

Hmmm... then I think I will wait for the can "o" pro that I ordered and give that a try... if it tastes like poo I'll order a can of the flavored unjury and give it a try. TTFN Darcy

Dang Jen... I only know one and I'm married to him!!! (O: My ex-husband is still single (we've been divorced for 8 yrs) but I really wouldn't recommend him...hehehehe. Hang in there girl... I kissed a lot of frogs during that eight years but my prince didn't come along until July 2002... he was worth the wait! :banana Single girl lesson for today... Being alone is tough but not nearly as tough as spending everyday with a butthead. :eek Thanks to you too for the kind words about my flabulous pictures... Darcy