DeLarla

Wait, is the "no bra" stage over now?

I've been to Mexico (both borders) 4 times in the past 9 months. You can drive right through both ways with just a driver's license. However, on my way home, they advised me that STARTING 2006 you'll need an actual passport. They were telling all cars heading back into California. Michelle, right now you don't need a passport, but border patrol picks and chooses which cars they'll search and/or detain. If your son is going with friends, high-school boys seem like an easy target. They might be asked for a passport even though everyone else just needs a drivers license. Tell him they'll all need one next year anyway, so better get them now.

Good luck with your sister. This is a great place for support and to get information, but your sister needs immediate medical attention. She's been through way too much already. I've had six surgeries in less than a year, but they all relate to my port. But messing around with the actual Band is a much more serious matter. She needs to be seen by professionals and shouldn't leave until she has answers. She's lucky to have such a great sis.

Careful, cause kernel corn isn't considered a mushy food. I don't think corn is a good idea at all for the mushy stage unless it's creamed, maybe.

Joanie, I got banded with 6 others, so we all shared stories. Some were told to lose weight prior to surgery, others weren't. I was supposed to maintain a low-fat diet, but I gained a couple pounds instead. I wanted answers, so I asked my surgeon why some people had to lose weight. Seems insane - if we could lose, we wouldn't need surgery, duh. The first thing was confessing that I pigged out that week instead of dieting. I was afraid he'd send me home, but he just said, "don't worry honey, this surgery is going to help you so you don't have to keep eating that way." He said gaining a few pounds isn't a problem with an experienced surgeon. You're only around 300 pounds (where else can you hear "only 300" other than here?) That's not hugely obese compared to someone weighing 500 or 700 pounds, so your surgery shouldn't be extremely difficult. The enlarged liver can make it more difficult for the surgeon to get around during the surgery, but they should not put off your surgery. Tell your surgeon to stop being lazy and grab his toolbox! Joo wanna I shoulda beat him up for joo?

But if you have big boobies, wear a soft bra. I went to Mexico without a bra and had to put Kleenex under my sweaty boobs. And mine aren't even that big!

I'd like to go to SE Idaho and rip a big fat lady fart in the middle of the town square. How do I get there? I guess I got lucky in my later years because fat discrimination never bothered me, it just fueled my fire, and you all know how I love a good brawl! Once a car full of teen boys drove next to me, and one started making fat cracks at me. I just started flirting really hard with him, thanking him for the compliment. I yelled, "you wouldn't be looking baby if you didn't want some of Big Mamma yourself, but your tiny pecker would get lost in all this, come here, come here, smoochy smoochy." Every insult he made just made me tell him he'd be hitting on the cute red-head in the other car if he wasn't so turned on by me. He was horrified and turned red while his friends all busted up, doing "high-five" signals to me out the window and laughing at the guy. I doubt he ever made fun of a fat lady again.

Betty, it's always the same. Getting geared up is the hard part. Once you're five minutes into the exercise, it's so easy. With me, I hate getting dressed so many times every day. It's so boring. First dress to exercise, then shower and dress for work. After work come play clothes, then later jammies. I've even worn exercise clothes to bed thinking rolling out will work, but ya still gotta bend over to put on tennis shoes. It's just hard getting going.

Oh my gosh, I wish I would have thought of this during my original band surgery or my other 2 surgeries in Mexico, but I finally have the answer to this post: OVERALLS! I wore overalls to my surgery last week. I brought a couple cute t-shirts and extra panties. Overalls are big and baggy and have easy access... the perfect outfit for surgery, and it's always fun looking like a farmer. Plus, you save all that "pants" space in your travel bag.

Wow, what a thrill. You earned it now march it around and show it off!

Poopy Megan, that sounds awful! Could you share with us the kind of anti-nausea meds you have? Are they over-the-counter? I'm going to get some next time I'm at the store. That's frightening, and I'm really glad you feel better. xo

Hi Joanie, I'm glad I posted this, too. When is your surgery date? New Hope made a good point that many American patients end up losing their original surgeon for one reason or another. Those people might end up in Mexico, afterall, if they aren't able to find a local doctor that will take them on as patients. I said a lot of nasty things about some Mexican surgeons, but that was probably a mistake since Mexico might be our only option at one time or another. I'm just not the kinda gal that holds back when I have something to say. Some times you gotta have a big mouth to get heard. Most of the people getting Bands when I did were morbidly obese and chose Mexico for the price and the experience of the surgeons. There was only one person out of 6 that was turned down by the FDA, but she was only 13. Joan,

I wouldn't have been able to get a band in Vegas. It's $28,000 here, and my insurance wouldn't cover it. I was able to get a loan for $7,500 though, which is what I paid in Mexico. We go there because it's the only way some of us can afford it. I have had a lot of complications that could have been avoided if I had the orginal surgery here, but the bottom line is that Mexico was my only option.

I just got home from a superbowl party (I snuck out early) and had some rather interesting conversations with other guests. Debra is a 50 year old woman that makes 40 year olds look bad! Slender, blond & blue and amazing skin, and very kind. She was so interested in the LapBand that we talked for an hour. She said she often forgets to eat for 2 days and she only eats to survive. But she is very close to her mom & sister, who are both obese. Her mom and sister are addicted to junk food, and she has zero interest in it. I know a lot of slender people, but most of them make good food choices and always resist temptation to keep their figures, then there's Debra who could care less if she ever ate again. She's got the anti-addiction! I should have plucked one of her hairs and had it cloned and implanted into my head!

That was funny! My husband is clueless and can never seem to do the right thing. He'll offer me food on days I have strong willpower, so I get mad at him. But when I have PMS and I'm willing to eat glue, he won't let me near the kitchen. At least he's trying!

Labuttr, a PB is kind of hard to explain until you actually have one. I had a band for several months without a PB, so I thought something was wrong with me. Then out of the blue, I had my first one, and it was awful. We probably all have different ways of describing it, but for me it starts somewhere between my throat and chest, as if you try to swallow something but it won't go downt. It's not like choking though, but like a painful pressure in your chest. When you first feel it, you have to stop eating. I always have a hard time catching my breath, and I keep gulping hoping the thing will pass. I think it's because the food gets trapped in the esophagus. Sometimes, the lump will finally pass, but other times you suddenly spit up thick slime. I usually spit up thick slime a couple times, then on the third kind of hurl the offending stuck food will come back up with the slime. I have always had warning signs, but some people don't get warnings. I can personally avoid all PB's by taking small bites, chewing very slow, and stopping when I'm full. All my PBs have happened after gulping something too big and too fast. It's not a good idea to let yourself get too hungry with the band, and all my PB episodes have been when I let myself get too hungry then try to make up for lost time by wolfing some food.

Darcy, you are brilliant. food saved me. Geeze, it could have been drugs or booze (yes, I abused both of them as well, but now it's just food.) To think of all the money I spent in therapy, yet not one of them said what you said. Send me the bill. Rachel, girl, you are not alone at all! Tons of us faced the same fears. It's hard to explain, but the band does help. Right after surgery you'll be too sick to eat for a day or so, plus your doctors will most likely put you on liquids for a week. Then you'll introduce thick Soups and mushie foods, but in the beginning, you'll be too afraid to eat, so you will do everything so gently. You'll eat slow, take baby bites, chew. By then you'll have lost a few pounds, which will motivate you to follow Band rules. Keep in mind that generally speaking, most people lose 1/2 of the weight they want to lose, and then they plateau. Me and Darcy are perfect examples, we both lost a good amount of weight with the Band. But after you lose 1/2 of the extra weight, that's when we really have to fight the addiction and bad eating. I'm very happy with my weight loss, but if I want the rest to go away, I'll have to work harder at saying "no" to goodies. The world's top Band surgeons can not or will not ever understand addiction (to food) the way we do. Well, except those top surgeons who have Bands themselves. I can't say I understand what it's like to have AIDS or Cancer, because I don't have either (knocking on a lot of wood.) You have to be in our shoes to understand.

Ladybird, this - "I know i should have shown greater control over my eating" is something we all feel, but take a look around! Nobody here can control their eating, which is why we all have bands. Your ex was wrong, and I admire you for having the sense to tell him to get lost. I have a similar problem at home, but my husband doesn't intentionally try to sabotage me. He cooks too much (and too good) and he likes when I endulge with him, but when I get serious enough he stops. He admits that he likes having an eating partner, but he's also not a fat admirer. Sometimes I think life would be so simple if I would have married a fat-admirer - just sit there and eat and be adored! He loved me fat, but he thinks it's really cool that I'm losing weight. I still weigh over 200 pounds but he calls me his Skinny Wife! People that sabotage are jealous and spiteful and not the kind of people I need around me.

I really appreciate everyone's response on this thread. I agree, nobody will ever change Erin. She lives in severe denial. She constanly tells me she eats so much during the day because she doesn't eat dinner, yet then she talks about what she cooked for dinner and brings in leftovers. I "grounded" her (refused to talk to her about anything that wasn't work-related) for the past couple weeks, so she didn't torture me with food. But then I started being nice again, so she instantly announced the new menu item at the corner buffet. If she gets out of hand, I will have to follow out my threat of keeping my office door closed with a NO FOOD sign on the door. It will horrify her, since the whole office will know she caused it, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

Miss Donali, no, I did not understand it cuz when I see numbers my brain freaks out and shuts down, so thanks for 'splainin. I particulary relate to "feeling full after 2 lbs of broccoli but not satisfied till you add some fat." Hell yeah! Darci, it's not just food addictions that trouble me. I'm addicted to bad food habits as well. Eating fast is a bad habit, eating between meals, etc. But my biggest bad habit is eating at night. I know where my problem began - it began as a small child seeking safety. I dodged several neighborhood bullies daily (or sometimes I wasn't so lucky) then came home to an empty house. I'd either steal money from the Momster or somehow find a hoard of food, then hide in a quiet place and eat. Soon my brother and sister would come home for daily torture. One would beat me up, the other would defend me. The next day they switched, but in the end we were a junk food binge team. Big sis would set out the plan and we'd follow her orders; we would "cover" while she slipped boxes of ice cream in Mom's huge underwear that she'd wear. We'd pig out, then throw the garbage down the street. Survival instincts are a marvelous tool that allow children to use their imagination to the fullest! My sister was brilliant to think of those big underwear! This was my entire childhood. To me, it was normal. But the problem is that as soon as I got away from home, the behavior never ended. When I came home after work to my first apartment, I would close the curtains and eat in safety. Eventually I noticed this was an abnormal and unhealthy cycle, so I began trying to break it eons ago. My attempts lead to anorexia, which eventually landed me in the hospital. So I started barfing. Chris is the one that stopped my bullemia. I thought I had him fooled, but one day early in our relationship he pulled me to the table by my ear. He said, "tonight you don't get any salad, you eat what I made you, and if you throw it up I'll never be back." Uht ohhh, he was on to me. He knew I was barfing the whole time, apparently lettuce floats. He'd been checking the toilet after dinner and always saw lettuce floating. So my addictions are real, and no matter how many days I'm able to stop eating after dinner, the urge will always be with me. Years ago I went to OA meetings religiously, and I was able to quit my night-eating for over a year. But the urges never go away, and something triggered me to take a nibble at night, which snowballed into 300 pounds. All I want is to break the night time cycle again - such a strong addiction. I have 2 clean days. Two glorious days that I haven't eaten a bite after dinner. Can we make it 3?

All I can do is dream about the day that "underwear" doesn't include bra, panties and bandage. Mary just did my Saturday change and cut off even more excess bandage. She thinks it looks really good. Thanks, Betty!

I don't want to turn this into an Ortiz thread, but he has had his fair share of complications. I heard of a woman last night that had to stay in the hospital over a week after Band surgery and another that is horrified by his aftercare. Maybe some people are happy with him, but there are 2 sides to every story.

This is the best I can do for now - here's the wound all packed up. I'll try to remember to take a picture today.

This time I remembered the camera, but I forgot to take it out of my purse till the wound was packed. But here's Bloody Mary throrougly enjoying the grossness of my disgusting wound. This is a horrible pic of her though - right outta bed with no makeup and a new poodle-perm. She's my darling cutie pie. This is her bent-over my belly, just finishing up the packing.

Dr. Billy answered this question for me. He said it's because during surgery, I was on a ventilator that breathed for me. When they remove the ventilator, my lungs have to work on their own. But I never seem to breathe well after surgery. I tend to breathe shallow. They always give me the little machine to exercise my lungs, and I use it. But I need to use it more and take deep breaths both in and out to get my lungs working again. This time was even worse cuz it hurt my incision to breathe.