Carlene

I frequent several resale shops in my area, and I never fail to find a bargain. I've bought lots of Talbot labels, Ralph Lauren, Gap, and others. Yesterday's find was a very nice pair of dressy Merona capri pants. And a lot of these places benefit battered women's shelters, church mission projects, etc. I donate everything back once I've shrunk to the next smaller size.

I'm with you, Mouse. I didn't tell everyone at first, but then I was outed by the mother of a friend of my daughter-in-law - a woman I've never evern met. But she knew that a woman she sometimes ran into at bridge tournaments was a friend of mine, so she asked her, "Did you know that your friend Carlene had Lap Band surgery"? It's just grist for the gossip mill and not much you can do about it. Now that it's out, I'm kind of glad. I don't have to think up stories or excuses, and I don't have to tell lies (I am the world's worst liar). And like Mouse, I have not heard one single negative comment. Everyone has been super supportive. The other day my (grown) son said, "Mom....you are sooooo thin." You miss a lot of those good strokes if people don't know you had surgery. They sometimes wonder if you're sick and don't say anything about your weight loss.

Five-Year Study Of Morbidly Obese Finds Significant Benefits Of The LAP-BAND® Procedure Over Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass LAP-BAND® System is less invasive, less risky than laparoscopic gastric bypass, according to a five-year study comparing the two most common weight-loss surgery procedures for the seriously overweight presented at this year's American Society for Bariatric Surgery meeting by Emma Patterson, M.D., the senior investigator of the study and Director of Oregon Weight Loss Surgery, LLC (Portland, OR). "This was one of the first comparative studies of LAP-BAND and laparoscopic gastric bypass patients conducted by a single institution," said Dr. Patterson. "It is significant to note that at the five-year mark there is no difference in the weight-loss results between the LAP-BAND and laparoscopic gastric bypass patients, yet the gastric bypass has a much greater risk of operative complications." The study is an extension of a three-year study conducted by Legacy Health System published two years ago. The study concludes: - LAP-BAND patients have shorter operative time, less blood loss and shorter hospital stay compared with laparoscopic gastric bypass patients - LAP-BAND is less invasive with less perioperative risk to the patient - LAP-BAND patients have decreased complication rates Additional results of the study indicate that patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass had statistically significant greater weight loss up to 4 years, but at 5 years, there was no statistical difference in percent excess weight loss between laparoscopic gastric bypass and LAP-BAND. The study also concluded that laparoscopic gastric bypass patients had significantly more major complications than LAP-BAND patients (10% vs. 5%, respectively). This observation was substantially different from the finding in the 3-year report, where no significant difference in major complications appeared between laparoscopic gastric bypass and LAP-BAND patients. As morbid obesity continues to be a global health problem, bariatric surgery remains the only viable, consistent form of weight loss for this patient population. "With the LAP-BAND System, there is now a safer, less invasive and more acceptable surgical option for patients suffering from the emotional and physical impact of being seriously overweight," added Dr. Patterson. STUDY METHODOLOGY The study compared a consecutive series of patients who underwent LAP- BAND (406) and LRYGB (492) for morbid obesity over a five-year period in a single institution. Most patients were able to choose between the LAP-BAND and laparoscopic gastric bypass procedures unless they were determined to be high risk (higher age, sex, male, super-super- obesity ((BMI greater than or equal to 60 kg/m2)), and presence of significant cardiopulmonary disease). All patients' age, sex, BMI, complications, mortality and excess weight loss (EWL) were examined. The LAP-BAND group had a higher mean preoperative BMI, and the LAP- BAND group had more patients with BMI greater than or equal to 60 kg/m2 (14 vs. 9%; P < 0.05). All patients underwent pre-operative evaluations by a psychologist, nutritionist, sleep study and laboratory evaluation at the Legacy Good Samaritan Obesity Institute. Prior to surgery, patients were instructed to maintain a low-fat, low carbohydrate diet and encouraged to lose at least 5% of their initial body weight. Postoperatively, LAP-BAND patients were seen at three and six weeks, monthly for the first six months, bi-monthly for the next six months, every three months for the second year, and then yearly thereafter. LRYGB patients were seen at three weeks after surgery, then every three months during the first year, every six months during the second year, and yearly thereafter.

I have no idea about Icees. I got the carbonation info on Slurpees from the Slurpee web site, in addition to the phone call to Southland Corp (home of 7/11). The Slurpee machine, by the way, was adapted from an automobile air conditioner! Here is the Slurpee story, cut/pasted from their web site. The story of Slurpee® drinks began in 1959 with a broken soda fountain machine in Kansas. When Omar Knedlik's soda machine broke at his drive-in hamburger restaurant, he began serving icy-cold bottled soft drinks from his freezer. Customers fell in love with the slushy drinks, sparking Knedlik to come up with the idea of creating soft-serve frozen drinks. After failed attempts to create a machine to make his icy beverages, Knedlik contacted the John E. Mitchell Company, a Dallas machinery manufacturer in 1959. Mitchell was attracted to the idea and began working with an automobile air conditioner to create a machine that would freeze carbonated soft drinks that could be served in a sherbet-like form and would be drunk through a straw. Mitchell's machine used a complex system to freeze the beverages so they could be served at an icy 28 degrees. Although a revolution in the soft drink field, Mitchell's frozen drinks were not a huge success with retailers. He tried selling his machines to drugstores and restaurants between 1960 and 1965, but the product's novelty and stores' inexperience with refrigeration equipment kept it from making an impact. But a chance encounter with a 7-Eleven manager would forever change the success of the frozen beverage. While visiting a competitor's store in 1965, a 7-Eleven zone manager came across one of Mitchell's machines and thought that it had a huge potential for success. In the Fall of 1965, 7-Eleven purchased three machines to test the product in their stores. They were an immediate success, and by the Spring of 1967, the machines were in almost every 7-Eleven® store.

I must be a VERY winded wabbit. I am 19 months post-op and lost 97 pounds, then gained 3, then lost those 3 plus a couple more. Now back to the original 97 and can't seem to budge the danged scale.

DH=dear husband And of course, DD is dear daughter, DS is dear son, etc.

WOW...you have done GREAT. I have lost 98 pounds in 19 months and am about 12 pounds from my goal. I am a fellow Texan...banded by Dr. Adam Smith in Ft. Worth. Do you ever go to any of the DFW Bandsters support dinners? I go to the one in Arlington. My husband is banded, too.

I'm in....

Ride it til the wheels fall off. As long as you are getting in some protein every day and taking your vitamins, I think you will be fine, although you might lose some hair.

Where did you go/plan to go for vacation this year, or even years past? I'm trying to decide on a destination for some time this month or early August. I'm thinking maybe one of the all inclusive resorts - maybe Cancun. Anyone have any suggestions? I have a 13 year old who is not keen on being unplugged from her cell phone for a whole week. Here's a picture of the harbor at St. George, Bermuda. We took a cruise there two years ago and it's beautiful.

YES! Halloween-themed gifts.

I used to drink Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi Slurpees, but not since I was banded. My surgeon is a carbonation Nazi. He maintains that carbonation is the number one cause of Lap Band slips. Next is keeping your band too tight. PS....Don't kill the messenger. This is just what my doctor says and yours may give different advice.

Here's the skinny on Slurpees... Happy birthday to the Slurpee Thank goodness for life’s simple pleasures, like the Slurpee, which turns 40 this week (joining fellow 40-year-old the Pillsbury Doughboy). I find comfort in knowing that I can always walk down to the corner 7-Eleven and grab a cherry- or Coke-flavored Slurpee. Apparently I’m not the only fan. Since 1965, more than 6 billion Slurpees have been sold. The carbonated slush is sold in 17 countries, and U.S. annual sales alone are $170 million. Plus, Slurpees are much cooler than 7-Eleven’s other old standby: “grilled” hot dogs.

WRONG....about two years ago (while I was still a wannabee), someone called Southland Corp (headquarters of 7/11) and asked, "Are Slurpees carbonated"? Very proudly, the spokesperson said, "YES, that's our secret. We found a way to freeze the mixture and still retain the carbonation".

Just a warning for newbies....the longer you are banded, the more inventive you will get at eating around the band. It is MUCH easier to follow the rules in the beginning, when you are all pumped about losing 100 pounds by next swimsuit season (good luck with that, by the way). Those last 10 pounds are soooooooooo hard to take off. I get headed in the right direction, then promptly screw up for a couple of days and re-gain 2 or 3 pounds. The band works, but only if you work it.

No....there are a number of food "types" that I cannot eat: steak, Pasta, pizza, rice, bread, etc. I would not trade the taste of any of them, however, for the 98 pounds I have lost. There is no free lunch...I traded prime rib for a bony butt. LOL

Here's another bobble head...

After banding I really worked hard to cultivate a taste for something other than Diet Coke. I love the WalMart brand of peach tea powder. Just add it to cold Water and freeze until slushy. It's great in the summer. PS...I mix it extra strong.

Almost anyone who is really thin looks like a bobble head. Case in point - Vanna White. Personally, I think it is a very unattractive look, but apparantly one that is quite popular in the entertainment industry.

God Bless Our Troops...

Diane...I so wanted to stay at the Palace, but they don't offer interline rates to airline retirees - only current employees. We go for the bargains, now that we are among the unemployed...LOL

Don't forget big egos! I think Vanna White is one of the most disfigured looking women ever. Her head is HUGE compared to her body. And in case anyone cares, I'm on Team Jen. Angelina Jolie is way too creepy for me. Who wears a vial of someone's blood around their neck?

Sharon Osborne developed full-blown Bulimia post-banding. According to an interview she did, it drives her whole family nuts.

Coco... I don't bring stuff into the house that I know will tempt me - like ice cream. If I buy candy, it's a single little bag of M&Ms. My biggest cheat was carbs, and now I simply can't eat a lot of them, such as pizza, bread, rice, potatoes, Pasta, etc. That has helped a LOT. If I could still eat bread, I know I would. Same for breaded foods, like fried chicken and fish. I have to be good in spite of myself. With the band, after care is EVERYTHING. Get your fills when you need them and be patient. Until you achieve good restriction, the band won't help much. I have lost 98 pounds in 19 months. My plan was 100 pounds in a year, so don't get discouraged if you fall a little bit short of your own expectations. It might take a little longer than you planned, but you will get there.

If you binge with the band (and you will, if you suffer from bulimia), you will also purge, which is very harmful to the band. Vomiting causes the band to slip, requiring at the least a long period of no fill, and at worst, surgical intervention. About 30 years ago I was anorexic, weighing in at 89 pounds at my worst - and mine was a moderate case. Anorexia isn't about being thin; it's about control. I suspect that bulimia is the same. A band would simply help you make yourself sicker, faster. How tall are you and how much do you weigh, by the way?