vinesqueen

Excuse me, but who's looking at you with discust? Shame on them! We all have our own issues. Yeah, toast. warm buttered toast with jam. MMMMM. I can't do toast, at least I don't think I can. And of course, "big breakfast" is such a subjective thing. One egg, a couple pieces of baccon and a slice of toast could be considered a "big breakfast" If you still haven't lost much weight at 6 months out then it's time to start screaming at your PCP about this. It is not normal or resonable to eat a low calorie diet and not lose wieght. There are some heavy emotional issues that go along with where you are. Time to make that appointment and talk about what could be the issue. Do NOT let them push back and tell you that you need to work harder. Be kind to yourself.

good luck! I know that it is so difficult right now. I think that we have a real need to eat solid foods, that there is some brain thing that happens with chewing and swallowing, the whole eating ritual. You are stressed from not only not having the food ritual, but the young adult stresses are so dramatic. You've had your very first NSV, dealing with your daughter without resorting to eating a huge amount of food. Excellent work on your part, be proud of this NSV, it isn't an easy one.

well, I'm seeing a new doc today, I've gotta do something about these damn head aches... I've had a head ache since frelling NOVEMBER. The last doc told me that I'd have to wait 4 months to get into their headache clinic, but since I've had a head ache this long, what's 4 more months. (insert the hair-on-fire emoticon) I'm going to ask for a referal to a therapist, since I really think I'm gonna need some help dealing with everthing. I've tried and tried but I just have no idea how to deal with the concept of a brain tumor. I mean, what the hell do I do with that information? I've been spending a lot of time the last week escaping reality by slipping into my favorite video games, but I know that isn't a long term solution. I spent Mother's Day with my mom, sister, grandmother and adopted sister. It was for the most part really great, except for having to deal with my meglomaniac younger brother, who's managed to convince himself that he's the only true heir. He went off on our adopted sister and told her that our mom's house was his house, and she was there at his whim only. WTF???? My mother is absolutely thriving on all the attention and the possibility of dieing on Friday. It's so weird, I mean w-e-i-r-d, yet so my mother. I haven't seen her so animated or happy in years. it's just so bizare. Anyway, thanks again so much for being here, it does mean so much to me. I know that I'm not very active here right now, but well, I'm fighting to maintain some sort of mental stability. (insert the hair-on-fire emotion here)

Because there are other folks who are having the same difficulties as your, I would strongly suggest getting a second opinion here. Not only for fills, but ask for a metabolic pannel. There are some other issues that could be wrong. I'm not losing weight, but I have Cushing's.

What a sucky way to be welcomed into the Banded Gentry! You might have a sensitivity to the tape or the glue. I'd call the office and see if either Debbie or Jessie can recommend something. Definately let the clinic know that you are having this reaction.

Hi MelAnne, I'm so very sorry you are struggling so. Sweetheart, you are only 3 weeks out, and your body is still in the WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME phase. I think just about everyone goes through this. But you said you were gaining weight. Okay, was this gain when you moved from liquids? It is so very frustrating for this weight gain, but it isn't really, it is a matter of your colon now having matter in it, where it was empty before. I believe it was Capt'n Jack who said that the colon can hold up to 15 pounds of matter. Now, you are absolutely right, the band does not work for everyone. The band does not work for me, but I have other things going on. If you are continuing to gain weight even after you have had your prper fill, you will want to talk to you doctor about this. Do not let them push you off, because weight gain on little calories can be a symptom of a very serious condition. Getting filled is not a game, a lot of people get good restriction with their first fill. But the band does not work without a fill. It isn't designed to work without one. Any weight loss before your first fill is BONUS. Please don't be so hard on yourself.

I want to thank you all for your kindness. This is amazingly difficult. My father died from cancer 7 years ago, and now my mother. I'm a wreck. But thank you for being out there, listening to me, offering unconditional support. That means more to me than I can ever express.

Oh Sho, I'm so sorry to hear this. I know no-one wants this, and I'm so sorry you have to go through this. So very sorry. Do they have to do this "open" or can they do this vaginally or lap? ((((hugs))))

hippo-birdies, two ewes!

May the cities in your wake burn like candles on your cake!

I too am an elephant. But I honestly do believe in reincarnation. I've known this is how the universe worked since I was a very small child. I went to an evangelical christian school. I realized that there was no way for someone to attain perfection in the 72 years we are alotted, so obviously we have to come back until we get things right. This horrified my teachers and parents. But ever since I was little, even before I knew what it was called, I believed it.

Yesterday I spoke with the doctor from Portland. I have a tumor. The Cushing's diagnosis is cyclical, which means that I have a lot of testing ahead of me. At this point I don't know what the plan of treatment is, or the plan of action is yet. I'm still not losing weight. I seem to have stablized at 240, which sucks. My mother's cancer surgery is scheduled for a week from Friday. I'm sort of stuck trying to figure out what to do for her for Mother's day. What the hell do you get for someone who might not live another week?

We went to the surgeon this morning for my mother. Not good. She will basically have a radical RNY, open. They will be removing part of her stomach, part of her liver, pancreas, and a big whack of her intesines too. They will be putting in a feeding tube for a while, while she heals. She's looking at about a week, 10 days in hospital. I'll be going to stay with her, which I'm not really looking forward to doing, for a varitey of reasons. But my sister really cannot handle two little old ladies that need full care.

Call your local chapter of the Small Business Administration, as well as contacting your local uniersity's business college. The SBA is designed to help people start and be successfull with their small business. Your univeristy will typically have people who can provide you with help as well. In some cases, they choose small businesses to partner with to help the business owner, and the university students with real-world experinece.

Sorry, I've learned a while new jargon, and I love my jargon.... One of my failings with my writing, jargon... The UFC tests are urine tests where I have to collect all my urine in a jug and have it sent off to have the cortisol tested. I have to collect 4 different days worth of these tests. Cushings tumors can be in many places, typically in the pititary (brain) or the adreanal glands (kidney), but it can be caused by tumors in other parts of the body such as the lung. So, the surgeon I spoke with on Tuesday explained the surgery if it was my adreanals that is causing my woes. I"m still waiting for the phone call....

And then there is me. I've gained back a net of 15 hard faught pounds, and I've gained it back on 1000 calories.

Well, since I've been banded, I have the most amazingly strong nails, like they were when I was pregnant. I mean, I can grow my nails to almost "exotic" lenth! Before I was banded I had sort of flimsy papery nails that would easily split or shred.

Hi Tina, you also might look at NWWLS. www.nwwls.com My husband had a BMI of something like 80, which is basically a meaningless number. He weighed 600 pounds at the time of his band placement. You will want to go with someone who's got experience with your special needs. The inial banding is only the beginning of the journey. You really need to make sure that you have really good aftercare lined up. I am not familer with the wish centers, so I cannot comment on their aftercare. I wish you the best of luck in deciding what to do.

Wait! What? I go away and have my own personal meltdown and this happen???? I need to search the complications forum for the rest of the story, since that's where I think it will be, right? Oh (((((((Trish))))))))

Thank you so much. You are all such kind and caring people. I am crying as I sit here reading your thoughs of care and understanding. I just started a thread that updates my last two weeks. Maybe I should have called it "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times" but that's already been done...

My DH and I both used NWWLS. The whole clinic is great, and Jessie and Debbie, the two fill nurses, are amazing when it comes to fills. I read so many accounts of folks getting fills that I really appricate the care we get at this clinic.

Well, last week I had my week's work-up at OHSU. My PIC line closed off, and the tape they used ate the skin off my arm, so I've been fighting an infection there. It really chewed up my arm, but it finally stopped hurting. I got my famous jugs yesterday, so I'll do the first UFC tomorrow. I'm so wound up tonight, that I'm probably high.... Heh, any where else, in any other context, that would sound bad. So, I didn't perform at the bellydance party on Friday, like I was supposed to. There will be other solos so I'm not really upset. I just couldn't face the questioning looks with the way my arms ended up being chewed up over the week. It would have just been too hard dealing with the questioning looks. Too hard. Sunday afternoon I got a call from my sister. Our mother had been having some serious health issues, and the doctor called her on a Sunday, and told her that's she's got pancreatic cancer, it's verified. So now I have to deal with that, and with my rotten brothers. Sunday night my Spudboy started throwing up with diarea, so I spent all night in the ER with him while they pumped him full of IV bags, pain medications and anti-nausia drugs. I think I got about 15 minutes snooze time in the ER. Monday, after we got Spudboy home, and socked away in my bed, I think i got about 90 minutes of sleep, I was too wound up. I had a job interview at 3:00 and had to find and print my resume. Had to get the printer out, the good paper, and all that stuff. Road constrction in addition to not being sure where I was actually going for my interview added to the stress, but I arrived in plenty of time. I WOWed him. It was only an informal interview, to see if either one of us wanted to set up the full and formal interview loop. A full loop is an 8 hour loop, and is quite the endurance test. Anyway, I WOWed the guy! He's off for a 10 day inspection of one of the facilities in India, but he wants me to think about where in the organization I think I would fit best, what I would like to do most within the organization, where I want to focus. Yesterday I had a partial unfill. I "only" had 1.5 cc in my band, but it was too much. I was getting tighter and tighter, and we decided that I should have .25 removed. I have had every meal without pain or PBs or slimes. Heaven! I'm hungry, and I know I'm eating more than I should. Funny, only a Banster would think that an entire chicken breast was too much food? I'm not tracking my meals, which is added stress I don't need right now. NWWLS has a new surgeon who's joined their practice, and he's an experienced neuro-endo-surgeon who's apperently one of the leading docs in the area, both subject and geography. He quickly outlined what the surgery would be in I had to have the adreanals done. So, tomorrow I get my test resutls from Dr. L. I am excited and scared at the same time. I don't know what time he's going to call me. And I'm sitting here, wound up like a top.

Well, last week I had my week's work-up at OHSU. My PIC line closed off, and the tape they used ate the skin off my arm, so I've been fighting an infection there. It really chewed up my arm, but it finally stopped hurting. I got my famous jugs yesterday, so I'll do the first UFC tomorrow. I'm so wound up tonight, that I'm probably high.... Heh, any where else, in any other context, that would sound bad. So, I didn't perform at the bellydance party on Friday, like I was supposed to. There will be other solos so I'm not really upset. I just couldn't face the questioning looks with the way my arms ended up being chewed up over the week. It would have just been too hard dealing with the questioning looks. Too hard. Sunday afternoon I got a call from my sister. Our mother had been having some serious health issues, and the doctor called her on a Sunday, and told her that's she's got pancreatic cancer, it's verified. So now I have to deal with that, and with my rotten brothers. Sunday night my Spudboy started throwing up with diarea, so I spent all night in the ER with him while they pumped him full of IV bags, pain medications and anti-nausia drugs. I think I got about 15 minutes snooze time in the ER. Monday, after we got Spudboy home, and socked away in my bed, I think i got about 90 minutes of sleep, I was too wound up. I had a job interview at 3:00 and had to find and print my resume. Had to get the printer out, the good paper, and all that stuff. Road constrction in addition to not being sure where I was actually going for my interview added to the stress, but I arrived in plenty of time. I WOWed him. It was only an informal interview, to see if either one of us wanted to set up the full and formal interview loop. A full loop is an 8 hour loop, and is quite the endurance test. Anyway, I WOWed the guy! He's off for a 10 day inspection of one of the facilities in India, but he wants me to think about where in the organization I think I would fit best, what I would like to do most within the organization, where I want to focus. Yesterday I had a partial unfill. I "only" had 1.5 cc in my band, but it was too much. I was getting tighter and tighter, and we decided that I should have .25 removed. I have had every meal without pain or PBs or slimes. Heaven! I'm hungry, and I know I'm eating more than I should. Funny, only a Banster would think that an entire chicken breast was too much food? I'm not tracking my meals, which is added stress I don't need right now. NWWLS has a new surgeon who's joined their practice, and he's an experienced neuro-endo-surgeon who's apperently one of the leading docs in the area, both subject and geography. He quickly outlined what the surgery would be in I had to have the adreanals done. So, tomorrow I get my test resutls from Dr. L. I am excited and scared at the same time. I don't know what time he's going to call me. And I'm sitting here, wound up like a top.

Well, last week I had my week's work-up at OHSU. My PIC line closed off, and the tape they used ate the skin off my arm, so I've been fighting an infection there. It really chewed up my arm, but it finally stopped hurting. I got my famous jugs yesterday, so I'll do the first UFC tomorrow. I'm so wound up tonight, that I'm probably high.... Heh, any where else, in any other context, that would sound bad. So, I didn't perform at the bellydance party on Friday, like I was supposed to. There will be other solos so I'm not really upset. I just couldn't face the questioning looks with the way my arms ended up being chewed up over the week. It would have just been too hard dealing with the questioning looks. Too hard. Sunday afternoon I got a call from my sister. Our mother had been having some serious health issues, and the doctor called her on a Sunday, and told her that's she's got pancreatic cancer, it's verified. So now I have to deal with that, and with my rotten brothers. Sunday night my Spudboy started throwing up with diarea, so I spent all night in the ER with him while they pumped him full of IV bags, pain medications and anti-nausia drugs. I think I got about 15 minutes snooze time in the ER. Monday, after we got Spudboy home, and socked away in my bed, I think i got about 90 minutes of sleep, I was too wound up. I had a job interview at 3:00 and had to find and print my resume. Had to get the printer out, the good paper, and all that stuff. Road constrction in addition to not being sure where I was actually going for my interview added to the stress, but I arrived in plenty of time. I WOWed him. It was only an informal interview, to see if either one of us wanted to set up the full and formal interview loop. A full loop is an 8 hour loop, and is quite the endurance test. Anyway, I WOWed the guy! He's off for a 10 day inspection of one of the facilities in India, but he wants me to think about where in the organization I think I would fit best, what I would like to do most within the organization, where I want to focus. Yesterday I had a partial unfill. I "only" had 1.5 cc in my band, but it was too much. I was getting tighter and tighter, and we decided that I should have .25 removed. I have had every meal without pain or PBs or slimes. Heaven! I'm hungry, and I know I'm eating more than I should. Funny, only a Banster would think that an entire chicken breast was too much food? I'm not tracking my meals, which is added stress I don't need right now. NWWLS has a new surgeon who's joined their practice, and he's an experienced neuro-endo-surgeon who's apperently one of the leading docs in the area, both subject and geography. He quickly outlined what the surgery would be in I had to have the adreanals done. So, tomorrow I get my test resutls from Dr. L. I am excited and scared at the same time. I don't know what time he's going to call me. And I'm sitting here, wound up like a top.

I give up.