AshevilleEddie

Ok, eww! That's just creepy, Mark!

Hi all, just wanted to let you know that I'm official now! I got my band yesterday and came home today. Check out the new signature...

Who cares?!? Sometimes you gotta start your own thread, something with a catchy title like "Still Left Out" or something like that! Seriously though, congrats on your date! I just got banded yesterday, so I know the excitement/apprension you're probably feeling right now. Please keep us posted...

I'm home! Thanks for asking, Pamela. I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck, but I made it! Big thanks to all you guys for being here for me. I was actually close to chickening out, but you helped me hang tough. I did have to stay overnight because of my diabetes, but everything went fine. I'll keep you posted on the post-op happenings. I also notice that I'm no longer the only fabulous Gay man in this thread...welcome, Wade!! P.S. - Check out my new signature!!!

HAHAHAHA!! I still have my miniature Tinky Winky I bought after those ridiculous proclamations!!

Believe it or not, I was actually somewhat saddened to hear of his death this morning. In the last couple of years I had heard him make remarks that led me to believe he was lightening up on his anti-Gay rhetoric. I had hoped he would come to his senses and wield as much influence in changing the far right's attitudes as he once did to firmly entrench them. I suppose now we'll never know...

Thanks Mark. I'm really glad I have you guys. Certainly DH is supportive, especially having just gone through it himself, but sometimes I need to hear this stuff from other folks. It lets me know he's not just saying it because I'm his husband and he "has to." I went for the last visit to the surgeon and pre-op chest x-ray, etc today. I've actually lost 11 pounds on the pre-op diet and am off both injectable diabetes meds! My blood sugar has been the most normal in the last week as it has been in the past 2 years! I'm only taking one oral med right now, and I'm sure it will go away too after I lose the weight I need to lose. Oh yeah, got my post-op pain med Rx (Lortab) and had it filled, plus found some Gas-X strips (just like the Listerine ones that melt on your tongue) and Alleve liquid caps. That way I'll have a non-narcotic pain reliever I can take between doses of the Lortab and keep my pain to a bare minimum. There's no interaction, so technically I could take them together, but this way I'll have less pain between Lortab doses. And I'm ALL about less pain! Anyway, I'm about 38 hours away and still a little nervous, but I am feeling better because of all the support I know I have out there. If I don't post Wednesday night, it's because they may keep me overnight (diabetes I suppose), but I'll give an update as soon as I'm able. Thanks again, and love to all...

Three days away! I'm still nervous about the whole post-weight loss thing, but now getting nervous about the surgery itself. I've had a few procedures done under "twilight" sedation, but never anything surgical and nothing under general anesthesia. I know I have very little to be concerned about, but it's the fear of the (personally experienced) unknown. I'll glady accept any advice and/or virtual hugs from anyone who offers...

I dunno, maybe I'm just too fabulous for anyone else to compete...

Ok, is it just me or does the new LBT woman (scroll up) look like more than a little like Racheal Ray at first glance?? "How cool is that!" HAHAHA!! Sorry if you non-RR fans don't get that! BTW, I was walking down the grocery store aisle where all the oils, shortenings, etc are thoe other day and guess what I saw on the shelf?? Racheal Ray's EVOO!! (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) Again, if you're a non-RR fan, you'll just have to watch one of her many shows to understand it. Personally, I think her 15 minutes of fame is WAAYYY over...

I'm being banded Wednesday (5/16). I too have always been a big mealtime drinker. It's nothing for me to polish off 24 oz or more with a meal. I have started trying to stop drinking with meals altogether in preparation, but I have to admit it has been difficult. Then I came up with a neat solution that seems to work both sides for me - I get to "drink" with my food without really drinking. Our surgeon (DH was banded on 2/21) said it was ok to have about 1 oz of liquid with a meal, no more. So I had this brilliant idea - a shot glass! It holds one oz of liquid, so I put in one ice cube and fill the rest of the way with water. In actuality I'm not even getting that full ounce since the ice displaces much of it, but I'm able to take teeny sips between bites, enough to help "wash it down" (throat) without being enough to "wash it down" (stomach)! And it works pre-band, when I'm eating much more food than I'll be able to eat after I'm banded, so I KNOW it will work later. Give it a try and see if it helps. Just make sure it's actually water and not vodka! :heh:

I must be a bad Gay - I had to Google that one! At any rate, welcome!

Yes, low carb, low fat for 2 weeks. I do fine during the day, but I have a hard time late at night - I want to eat everything in sight. Of course, that's always been a big problem anyway. I'm just trying to eat better foods right now. I haven't eaten anything really bad, just not quite as LC/LF as I should. I am trying to do a lot of Clear liquids throughout the day (sipping on a big cup of red tea rignt now) and I'll probably try and drop back to liquids only for a few days pre-op. I'm also doing a week-long herbal detox/cleanse (ends Sunday) and went today for a lymphatic draining massage, followed by an ion detox. So while my diet isn't 100% perfect, I am doing other things to shrink my liver. DH was fine for the first several weeks. Not very hungry and was consistently losing weight. Now he's had 2 fills and probably still needs another one. He's still losing, just much more slowly now and he can eat more.

Wow, it just hit me today - I'm only a week away from getting banded! Yeah, I've known my date since last week, but it just sorta became totally real to me today. I do have to admit though, as excited as I am, I'm actually getting nervous. Not enough to chicken out, it's just that despite the fact that I had a couple of weeks of not knowing if I would be approved, everything suddenly seems to have happened very quickly. Now in a matter of months my life is going to be completely different. It's kinda scary. I've been fat all my life - as difficult as that has been, I'm now facing a different set of insecurities. No more fat to hide behind, so to speak. Anyone have any words of wisdom for me?

Thanks Ragdoll! Supportive Str8 folks will always be welcome here IMO. I have a somewht lenghty post somewherre that details a good bit of my story. But in a nutshell, they're my biological kids from a previous hetero marriage. Biggest mistake I ever made in my life, but if I hadn't done it I wouldn't have my kids, so it was worth it. DH has been more of a parent to them than EW ever was. As for your situation, I would play it by ear. I understand both sides (yours & hers) so I can be more objective. Some people have a "thing" for wanting a biological child, and there's nothing wrong with that. But the ironic part of that is that your biological baby wouldn't be biologically hers. I don't know if either NJ or NC allow 2nd parent adoptions, FL does not. If either of your home states do, whether you give birth or adopt, you could both be legal parents. But I don't blame you for wanting to enjoy your new body for a while. I know I'm going to!

Oh sorry. I just assumed that since all Lesbians are fat, you all drive pickups and wear flannel. <damn, never can find that evil grin smilie when you need it> As for the flowers, you'll have to get them from someone that's gayer than I am cause I didn't get that gene...or the hair & makeup gene, or the interior decorating gene or the drag gene. I'm just a very average guy. Well, maybe I do have a penchant for the dramatic...:drama: LOL!

Hold on there Bubble, I'm not that Gay... HAHAHAHA!!

Is that why you all drive pickup trucks and wear plaid flannel shirts? BTW, could you help me with some construction work around the house? I'll make you a pretty flower arrangement and do your hair and makeup... :heh:

First of all, I have a LIFE, not just a lifestyle. Please get your arms around this very simple concept. My lifestyle consists of work, home, kids, kids' activities, etc. My life consists of every thing I do. Get a clue - THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GAY LIFESTYLE! No one's life revolves around being Gay. Well, I suppose that makes your God extra-generous if he can stoop so far as to love a homosexual.

I've been spending a lot of time in Rants & Raves since I joined LBT, partly because it's fun, but also because for the most part it's very GLBT friendly. Unless I haven't looked in the right place, I don't think there's a support thread for us, so I decided to start one! A little about me. I'm Eddie & I'm a 42-year-old Gay man. I have a partner of just over nine years (henceforth referred to as DH), a 17-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. DH and I are stupid. Don't believe me, just ask our kids. DH has hypothyroidism and had not been able to lose any weight after his thyroid "went nuts" several years ago. I've just been overweight all my life. He was banded on 2/21/07 and I'm getting mine next Wednesday (5/16). I can't wait! Anyway, I would love to hear from all the GLBT folks out there. Hopefully this can be a place for us to freely discuss our unique issues and get support we may not be able to get elsewhere.

This is the only post I am ever going to make to this thread. I'm not going to debate the issue or give any opinion either way. I only have one statement to make. On November 17, 2004 my mother (who smoked for 50+ years but had quit ten years earlier) died of complications of lung cancer. She will never see my children grow up.

Well, this isn't what I thought this thread was about. I thought Wheet was pissed off with Lap Band, not Lane Bryant! I just couldn't imagine why!! HAHAHA!!

Matthew Shepard, Pfc Barry Winchell and Brandon Teena (to name just a few) were not brutally murdered because they were "senior citizens, pregnant women, prior victims, children under 18, unborn, court witnesses or members of our armed forces" (although Pfc Winchell was in the Army, it was fellow soldiers who killed him). They were all murdered because they were Gay (Matthew Shepard & Barry Winchell) or Transgendered (Brandon Teena). I've never heard of anyone being murdered for any of those reasons you listed. As for the argument about a murder is a murder, etc, why are there varying degrees of murder, as well as manslaughter, etc depending on intent and circumstance? That reasoning is flawed.

My deepest and most public apologies, Carlene. If you re-read my post, I said that I didn't think you would have felt that way, but that was how I took it. I was wrong. I should have trusted my gut instinct and not believed for a moment that that was what you were implying. I deserve whatever additional words you may have for me.

To be honest Carlene, this is the same song I've heard all my life, just a different verse. Because I'm Gay, I've been compared to pedophiles, rapists, prostitutes, what have you. I didn't really expect it to come from you though, particularly the emphasis on "CHOOSE" since you know I didn't CHOOSE my orientation. Unless I've taken your reply incorrectly, I'm actually quite disappointed. I would have expected it from others, just not from you... :phanvan