vinesqueen

hormones is the simple answer.

My DH has been banded for just over 3 years and has lost over 200 pounds so far. For the first time in his adult life he is under 400 pounds. We don't know his current weight, but I suspect it is about 385, down from 596. His only grief with the band is occasionally being too tight. I've been banded for almost two years, but I've lost almost nothing. But if I hadn't been banded, I don't think we would have ever found my brain tumor.

yup, I worked my butt off trying to lose weight. Excersize and diet did nothing, nor has the band of course. But we all know my story... Whoa! you've already lost 50 pounds! Woot! Right, you need to make sure you are eating enought to ballance the energy you are expending. Have you tried to increase your calories for a few weeks to match your work outs? It might be that you need to be at about 1200 calories aday to see any movement. Are you using something like fitday.com or sparkle to track your calories, both in and out... Strength and courage!

Hey Babe, your labs all look very low to me. (I never thought I'd be able read lab results, I'm a computer geek, not a medical geek! sheesh! So, Addison's (adreanal insufficiency) is the opposite of Cushing. But those of us who are Cyclical Cushing's can and sometimes do have both because we either have too much cortisol, Cushing's, or not enough, Addison's. It just depends on how far your disease has progressed, if you have this. If you post your results on the Cushing's help site, the link is in my signature, and ask for help reading. There are folks there who really understand lab results. Addison patients typically are very skinny, Cushies are typically fat. Buffalo hump, central obesisty (all our weight tends to be "trunk centered" as opposed to equally spread about) and bright purple stretch marks and the inability to lose weight, or worse yet, rapid weight gain, and a red moon face. Not everyone has all the symptoms of course, but those are all the hall-marks of Cushing's. I strongly hope you spend some time on the Cushing's board, since that is one of the best places to get information on Cushing's. PM me if you need me. You have my phone number still, right? Just remember I'm on the West Coast! (((((hugs)))))

Excellent Kathy! Hurray!

I have one in the center of my back, at my third chakra, it's a center flame inside interlocked boxes, inside flames. I got it just after I found out about my Cushing's. Yellow, red and blue. Chakra Three: Fire, Ego identity, oriented to self-definition This chakra is known as the power chakra, located in the solar plexus. It rules our personal power, will, and autonomy, as well as our metabolism. When healthy, this chakra brings us energy, effectiveness, spontaneity, and non-dominating power.

welcome home!

you want to make sure your stiches and sutures are cometely healed. COMPLETELY healed no matter where you soak. Your own tub or a public soak it it doesnt' matter, don't soak until you are completely healed.

Hi Chrissy The reason I can't lose weight is that I have a pituitary tumor, a brain tumor. You know that disease you hear about where people have that glandular disease where people get really fat and can't lose weight? That's what I have. Its a real disease called Cushing's. And I have it. I suspect that several of the Turtles also have a Cushing's as well, based on their inability to lose weight, comments about humps hurting, fategue and stretch marks.

Strength and Courage Alex! Strength and courage.... I'm with Jack, once I found out what a number corn does on me... I do so much better when I can either avoid it, or pair it with protien and fat, since those stay in your bloodstream longer. (glycimic index theory)

Thanks for taking this on NewSho. I am sure that it is a labor of love. Positive of it.

A hallucinating woman discovers that Squirrels from outer space are invading. While in surgery to remove a rare brain tumor, she has a seizure, causing her to hallucinate during her recovery process. The neighbor’s cat, Mr. Tibbles, and the Raven Marrok draw her into a web of intrigue, explaining that an alien communication device malfunctioned and caused the fire behind her house and squirrels from outer space were those aliens. When she starts to warn people of the immanent danger of the invasion, her sanity comes into question. While she’s in the hospital, the space squirrels launch their first attack. Their target is the local power grid, causing a major blackout on the entire West Coast. While they are cleaning up the sub-stations, workers from The Division of Energy discover the mess left by the squirrels, some of their alien technology, all of which vindicates her warnings. That's my one paragraph synopsis for my novel , Shades of Grey for NaNoWriMo this year. I get to start writing in just a few hours... Hurray!

Sure we remember you! Congrats on all your hoop hopping and dancing! Congrats on the Band Prize!

Wow! Yikes! And what the hell does count as a medical emergency? Oh Geeze! I sure am glad that you are ok. I had a large cyst bust, (but nothing as large as yours!) they told me it "resolved on its own" in the ER... Stupid ER ... They had to go in a clean it up later because I still had trouble with pain in my side after it burst. I'm so glad that you were able to get it taken care of. ((((hugs))))

Nope, didn't get the job, got sicker, the tumor Pitunia got worse. Kinda hard to work when I pass out every week. ... I kind of amuse myself when I can leave the house and go shopping.. . I like to imagine myself in whatever customer service job (even though I dont' do that sort of work...) and just picture myself doing the job in the "slow motion" shut down when I'm too Low, or the freaker/tweeker speed freak when I'm too "High." Strange things make me laugh these days....

I haven't given out candy at halloween for what... 15 years? I give out silly little toys instead. Goooy eyeballs, tops, party pack toys. I buy them year round. But we don't get many trick-er-treaters, which makes me sad... But I always make the kids do a trick for me Hey, is' in the rules isn't it? They want a treat they have to do a trick... This usually kills the moms that are standing down the walkway, they try valiantly and unsuccessfully to stifle their laughter while I make their beloved children bark like puppies or dance like bears... then I let them pick out what they want from the big bowl of toys. And it's a big whoop of joy.. SHE GIVIN' OUT TOYS!!!!!

I've never been able to figure out how anyone else's relationships had any impact on my relationship with my husband. Marriage isn't just for making babies. I'm never going to have babies with my husband. Ever. But I want to keep my husband.

HEY! NO DENIGRATING THE POLKA YOU!!!! I saw it both on Keith Oberman's show http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/ (I've got a heart on for that man! Pulls no punches and treats silly news as silly, serious as serious.) and I've seen it on The Daily Show as well.

That's one of the wonderful and weird things about the Band... no two people are the same. You take two bandsters who are roughly equally restricted and one will be able to eat half a tuna sandwich and the other person can't tolerate the tuna or the bread in any way, shape or form. The only way you will know if you can handle sushi is if you try it. You may be able to handle everything, the nori, the rice and the fish. Or you might find that salmon is a no-go while tuna or eel is just fine. I used to really like octopus and calamari, but now I find them too chewy... not worth it.

Hello Irish Girl. This sounds like it's your "soft stop." Many, many bandsters have a signal that lets them know that they are done, done before they come to a HARD STOP Some folks get the hiccups, and I know that the runny nose is pretty common. For many of us, we have to learn when "enough" really is enough. Many of us don't think we are full unless we are ready to pop. It's about learning our bodies, and what "saity" feels like. Strength and Courage!

So very sorry to hear about this Joe. I hope you have a speedy anc complete recovery. I cannot even pretend to understand how scary this must have been. I"m glad that you are gaining your strength back. I know how daunting it must seem, but you can do it! Post when you feel up to it, we will be here for you. Strength and Courage! Crystal

Hi Virginia, the answers you will get here are all going to be biased towards the Bands, since that is what we all chose. My husband last lost over 200 pounds so far, he started at 600 pounds when he was banded. Friday he was able to put one a 2X sweat shirt... When he started he was wearing 6X... In this thread http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=16168 you will find folks who are all starting with a BMI of over 50. That might be a good place for you to start looking. Even though I cannot lose weight due to a brain tumor, if I'd had RNY, I'd still have the brain tumor and I would still not be able to lose weight. My tumor was not found until after I was banded. Because I was not losing weight I demanded answers why. I am encouraged that your surgeon is not pushing you in either direction, even if that makes it more difficult for you. One of the things that you will notice that is missing here... We don't have a memorial board.

http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8943 is the list of my NSVs. You might want to go get a cup of tea, it's a long read. But I track all of them, and notice them. Bitter, your NSVs, your Non-scale Victories are all the wins you have in life that have nothing to do with the scale. The large and small triumphs that you perhaps would not have even considered doing/attemping before banding. Or simply not even noticed. The pounds lost only tell part of your story. Your NSVs tell the rest. If you think of it like a drawing, the pounds are the outline of the landscape, but your NSVs are what bring your painting to life, they add texture and color, contrast and defininiton to your story. My NSV list is litterally the only thing that has sustained me here. I have no weight loss, and I will not lose any weight until this damned brain tumor is removed. That is just my cold and hard reality. But I will always have my complete list of NSVs.

I thought I would bump this, since I've been doing a crummy job lately of banging the NSV Drum.... My current NSV? I'm going to write a novel next month as part of NaNoWriMo.

Hi Lovemylapband I don't know anything about lupus, other than it's one of those diseases that they have to use steroids to treat you with. And that's the problem, the steorids. I know how awfull it is to be on prednisone and just watch your body swell, semingly of it's own accord. The rapid weight gain, the 'roid rage, the round red moon face, the acne, I could go on, but anyone who's takine steroids knows all too well. I think with steroids you are looking at a double edged sword. The increased steroids in your body make you hold onto the just about evey calorie you take in. The calories in/out thing doesn't work if you have a high level of steroids in your system. The other edge is that for many people, the steroids make them hungry. I'm not sure what mechanism get flipped on here, but this is what happens. I don't know if this makes you feel better or not, but since they have you weaned down to a lower dose, your weight gain should really slow down. Once you are completely weaned off the prednisone, you should be able to lose weight again. I'm so sorry about the lupis, from what I understand it's a difficult row to hoe. (((((hugs)))))