Zoe

Hi Northerner -- How far north are you? All of the banded people here went through anesthesia, and we're all here to tell about it. You might want to check with Dr. Ortiz for details of his anesthesiology procedure. I've had a couple of other surgeries in addition to the band, and while it's not exactly fun going under, I had no complications, ever. From your first post it looks as if your surgery date is Jan. 5. Is that true? If so, congratulations!

Fabulous! Amazing what a loss of 80 pounds can do. Your pictures are great reminders for me to stay away from the chocolate.

What a miserable ordeal, Ryan. Let us know how Patty is feeling. And remember, you can always vent here. In fact, your written description of the ridiculous steps you took just to get your wife out of pain may prove useful if you need to take legal action against any of the medical professionals (I use that term loosely) for their negligence. When you update us on Patty, let us know how you're doing, too. Thinking of you and wishing for the best.

Glad to help with that Jan. 6 business! Seriously, people across the country are bringing leftovers to their offices this week, or munching on the tins of mass-produced goodies businesses exchange over the holidays, so I think we could use a little moratorium for a few days. Greg, be careful what you ask for. I've got a long-leg black-lace number with a tummy control panel that would look lovely on you.

Sounds like a new PMS challenge! I don't know about the guys, but I'd sure fail big time. The company I work for does a lot of business in Latin America, where the holiday season runs through Jan. 6 (Epiphany, or Three Kings Day). I officially declare that the holiday indulgence period can, at your option, last until then.

Rachel, if you were once athletic, that athlete is still inside you ready to emerge, even if just a little bit at a time. I agree with DeLarla's suggestion: even five minutes is an improvement over zero. I've been gradually building up my exercise time and intensity. Before I got banded, I'd get winded walking at a slowish pace for 15 minutes. Now I can go for an hour and a half and keep up with my average-sized friends. OK, I'm not ready to do the 70-mile-a-day bike trip I made when I was 19, but I'm moving, and feeling, a lot better than half a year ago. I don't know how y'all manage those elliptical machines. I can't imagine getting on one -- but then, my only real exercise is walking (on the ground, that is, not a treadmill).

Great message, Ro. Those of us whose weight loss slowed down over the holidays, came skidding to a halt, or went into reverse are still doing a lot better than we would have without the band. My average holiday weight gain in the last 15 years was about 8 lbs. So I figure I can throw that on top of the measly 2.5 lbs. I've lost in the past six weeks and claim that I've lost 10.5. Greg, fear not -- I'm sure lots of us have girdles you can borrow if you go up a dress size.

Nana, you lost "only" seven pounds over the last six weeks? I say that's a major victory! After going up last week, I'm down to 228.5 this morning -- first time I've seen the 220s in a while. I hope they aren't going to welcome me back big-time, because I don't want to stay long. So I've lost only 2.5 lbs over the course of the challenge, but I've been walking for an average of over an hour a day, and I feel great. I can move pretty fast without getting winded, my back doesn't hurt, and although I haven't loss any impressive poundage, I've lost inches -- my size-20 pants are all too big now. Still, I've gotta get over my bad holiday habits. Walking for an hour and a half in the morning then capping the evening off with a slab of band-friendly cheesecake isn't a great long-term plan! It's been fun, though, to be able to indulge in all the yummy holiday foods, knowing that a fistful of Christmas cookies didn't represent the destruction of my life but just a blip in the bandster path. I am delighted that so many people joined the challenge I posted back in November. I have to admit that my competitive nature helped keep me going over the last six weeks -- that, and the habit of writing my daily exercise in a notebook every single day. I'm going to stay with it for the next two months and see how I do. Congratulations to everyone who joined the exercise challenge, even if just for a short time or sporadically. Greg, let us know who the biggest loser is, and who's moved the most.

Like Sue, I'm a Rumbaut patient. I flew from Chicago to Monterrey and had no trouble with passport control or customs coming or going. The form that US Immigration asks you to complete when you re-enter the US asks what you have purchased. Since I didn't fork over any separate cash for my pain meds -- Dr. R and the hospital include them in the fee -- I didn't declare them. I said my trip was a vacation. Most people don't spend their vacations unconscious and bruised (or do they?), but it was still the truth. I had my surgery in August. Dr. Rumbaut required a cashier's check, which included his fee and the hospital's. My bank gave it to me without a surcharge. Jonathan, there's an old "Mexico misconceptions" thread from the fall (Sept-Oct., I think) that you might want to check out; I think it's in this "General Lap-Band Discussion" forum.

Instant mashed potatoes, guacamole, and hummus helped get me through mushies. Check out the food forum (go to "Forum Jump" at the bottom of the web page) for some other suggestions. The good news, Staci, is that the return of your appetite means your body is recovering nicely from the surgery!

You're gorgeous, sweetie! And what a beautiful smile! Boy, you sure are right -- if this is what being broke looks like, bring it on.

Audrey, you look fantastic! Your after-picture smile (and Chris's) says it all. Are you at your goal weight now? Tell all of us fans and admirers how you feel!

Congratulations, Staci. Yes, your weight loss will slow down, but that's normal. Even if you haven't consumed much since you were banded, probably a lot of your loss is Water. Still, every pound helps. And what a great way to start the new year! When do you move onto mushy foods? That will help take care of your hunger.

Fair enough. Guess I can delete this thread after we anti-Christmas fans have had a chance to vent!

Lisa, one of the reasons I got the PT was because it's a great dog car. Here's an unflattering picture of my dog Sophie (black & white) and her buddy Eli in the back seat. I have a big piece of foam rubber acting as a dog bumper just behind the front seat, so if I brake suddenly the dogs hit the foam, not a hard surface. One month after I got the PT, I took a trip to northern Minnesota and had to sleep in the car for a night. I took out the rear seats, adjusted the dog foam, and curled up with Soph, an 80-lb. lab mix. Not exactly comfortable, but I survived! I test-drove a Mini Cooper before I got the PT and rejected it because the rear windows don't roll down -- terrible quality for a dogmobile. Good luck in your car search, Teresa. My mom has a Taurus, and it's been OK, although it has a high idle that no mechanic has been able to fix.

I love my Chrysler PT Cruiser. Before that, I had a Toyota Camry that was extremely reliable. There are tons of used Camrys out there, and if a medium-large sedan suits you, I'd certainly recommend it. Consumer Reports has good information on-line and in their print issues regarding reliability of various used cars.

Thank you for writing back, Mark. Your son is fortunate to have such a supportive father. Please check in with us to let us know how you are both doing. And Vickie, thanks for your kind words. I ate a lot of holiday goodies, but I'm exercising every day and feeling great.

Stop . . . stop . . . I'm laughing my ass off at work, and someone just stuck her head in my office to see what's going on.

Nancy, I hope your brother is OK. Goa is a former Portuguese colony on the west coast of India, on the Arabian Sea; I think the tsunami affected the southeast part of India on the Bay of Bengal, especially Madras and the rest of the state of Tamil Nadu. Marie's right - he probably can't get to a phone. And even if he could, the phone service in India must be a mess right now, with lines jammed as people inside and outside India try to contact family and friends. The BBC has a bulletin board for for missing persons in India: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4130343.stm You might want to post a note on the off chance that he can get internet access. Good luck.

Thanks for writing about your son, Mark. I will add my raspy voice to the eloquent chorus raised by Megan, Joanne, and Vickie; my perspective is slightly different than theirs, in that I was a fat kid who was constantly badgered by my parents regarding my weight. Not a penny for my college education, but no diet doctor was too bizarre or expensive for them to open their wallets. Now that I'm in my 40s, I can see that they thought they were trying to help me, but at the time I resented their interference and the implication that I needed fixing -- and that my weight was the only thing that merited their attention. I don't imagine that you have such a severe attitude toward your 17-year-old son, but I thought I'd mention what it feels like to be on the other side of parents who devote considerable energy to solving a child's "weight problem." I bet your son wishes he could just wake up thin one morning (what overweight person doesn't?), his body issues magically gone. And if you ask him "don't you want to be thinner?" of course his answer will be YES. But it's so hard for anyone, especially kids, to be patient with the tiresome process of losing a pound or two a week, as would happen if he followed a conventional dieting program like Weight Watchers. That your son is very heavy does not mean that you and your wife have failed. Unless you are force-feeding him Krispy Kremes, please do not beat yourself up for his condition. I would encourage your son to talk to you, or to another adult he trusts, about how he feels about his weight. Don't judge him or try to direct his answers. If he'd like to make a change, tell him you will support him however you can. If he doesn't want to do anything about his weight, unfortunately nothing you do can make him. I will hold back from making the tempting comparison to alcoholism, but there is one relevant point where addictions and weight issues meet, and that is the total inability of anyone to help someone who doesn't want to change. As much as it may hurt you to "sit here knowing he is killing himself," you can't force him to modify his eating or exercise; if you try, he may simply rebel and in consequence sabotage his own efforts (and wind up even heavier). If your son shows any interest in losing weight, please encourage him to sign on here, or on another Lap Band board where he can be anonymous. It's great that he's interested in exercising with you. It might be unrealistic to expect him to exercise alone, especially if he thinks it's "for his own good" rather than something he enjoys. (It's hard to move a 365-lb. body.) And please, please don't throw him out of the house in hope that he will toughen up. That rarely works, and usually backfires. Keep him close and try to support any good eating and exercise habits that he voluntarily develops. Encourage him to walk to school and on errands, or with the family dog if you have one. Pay attention to the rest of his life: academic achievement, hobbies, friends. Let him know that you are on his side. You can offer him a tremendous gift simply by making him responsible for any decision to change his body. He's almost 18, and with manhood comes the opportunity to seize his own destiny. Good luck.

I got an e-mail message saying that there were new posts on the anti-Christmas thread -- but the link didn't work, and now I can't find the thread anywhere. Help!

Greg, I'm impressed by your willingness to sacrifice the safety -- no, the very existence -- of family and community just so you could hop on the scale. If there's a report of a massive fire in Detroit tonight we'll all know who to blame: Meijer's, your neighbors, and your sister! Me, I'm blaming my mother for the inevitable weight gain I haven't been able to face this morning. If she hadn't put on such a remarkable spread of goodies for three straight days. . . oh, hell, I probably would have found them someplace else. But I'm feeling so bloated that I'm actually looking forward to eating like a good little bandster again.

Lauri, we're all wondering about you and hoping you have found both answers and relief. Please check in with us so all your bandster aunts and uncles can sleep at night!

Isn't it great to go into the new year knowing that we'll be able to keep any resolution to lose weight? Think of the millions of people who get discouraged by February and are berating themselves, and eating themselves senseless, by springtime. May your days be merry and bright, everyone! (I'm off for a family celebration -- all adult siblings united for the first time in nearly 20 years.)

Funny, Sue, I cut out that same NYT article last Sunday! It was great to learn the real story behind Festivus. We're all big Seinfeld fans in my mixed-marriage non-religious family, and I've got enough brothers to make the "feats of strength" work. . . let's not even talk about the airing of grievances. Get out the metal poles, and happy Festivus to everyone!