woo woo

So, no sneezing. But I will say that in my late 30s I realized that I had developed a gross throat-clearing problem when full. Now, my hopes that it would fade away after sleeve were not to be. But, happily, I was able to identify the cause (sugar and lots of it!).

OTOH, my cousin had a sleeve first (later changed to DS after gaining a ton of lbs in grad school) and now swears that her body signals over feeding when her left ear turns red and becomes hot and itchy.

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I didn't go through with my surgery & I regret it. I'm back to my old bad habits & have reached out to my surgical group to get the ball rolling again. I have delayed this long enough. Thankfuly I don't have to do anything but blood work pre op & get scheduled for surgery.

You can definitely drink again it may be a few months after surgery obviously not at the beginning. People can drink after just don't go overboard.

@@chele367 I agree - you need to discuss this with your Suboxone MD. They need to give you a plan for weaning off. They also need to know if you are taking narcotics. I would be very hesitant to take narcotics with a prior history of abuse. I'm actually surprised your surgeon is considering it. There are alternatives. Good luck!!!

So watching TV is a no-no, too?
Got to add that to the list of things I'm no longer allowed to do if I "choose health."

Oh good grief...I am either in or out?
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know thyself.
I got a bottle of Baileys for christmas. My christmas eve dinner party ended with us each having a small bit on ice. It has been in my cabinet since... haven't even thought about it until now.
A week ago, I bought a container of choc chip mint ice cream. I ate a 1/2 cup a day until it was gone - I measured.. I couldn't forget it, the siren's call was so strong it was all I could do to keep from eating until I felt sick which is why I put it in these tiny 1/2 cup serving dish and forced myself to not heap it. I should have thrown it away.
So, for me, clearly ice cream is something I probably can't manage all that well as it is an old trigger (I don't even like it THAT much but it just seems to call my name!) whereas a bottle of spirits has it's time and place and I don't have white knuckle it to ignore it whilst under my roof.
They are both empty calories, there are clearly healthier foods and drinks to consume, but one calls my name and the other doesn't.
I guess I have a problem with the one size fits all approach and I while I do agree that addictions can be a real problem, and should be considered - it seems like it is an overgeneralization to say that people in maintenance should "never" do ...fill in the blank...
We need to know ourselves and how to balance a healthier lifestyle against things we enjoy or find fun.
I know several cigarette smokers - talk about something useless and harmful to consume!! Why aren't we ranting about THAT?!?

So you're anti-alcohol of any kinds for WLS patients and think all WLS patients should be or become tee-totalers ... right?
Do you feel the same way about alcohol for patients a year out (and in maintenance) as during the weight-losing phases?
Do you also recommend no-Cookies for WLS patients? Ever? Even in maintenance?
What about cake?
Barbeque (and all the sugar in those BBQ sauces)? Chili?
Breads? If not all breads, which kinds / brands?
What about coffee? Tea? Marijuana?
What about sweet potatoes? White potatoes?
Fruits -- with or without sugar?

Speaking only for myself, I'd prefer an occasional glass of wine to an occasional four Cookies, hands down.
I'm an adult. I'm educated and capable of educating myself about the pros and cons of alcohol intake now that I'm sleeved.
I neither want or need anything beyond education on the matter from my bariatric team. Like every bite I put in my mouth and every step I take toward improved fitness, these are my responsibilities for my life, and my lifetime. I neither want nor need draconian edicts in an attempt to scare me into adherence into what anyone thinks I "must" do, or not. It's paternalistic, patronizing, and unwelcome.

I think fat shaming is ridiculous regardless of who is doing it.
My mother n law (when she was alive) was the queen of fat shaming. She would figure out ways to make you feel like a big fat slob. For example, she would buy my husband a birthday gift that was 2 or 3 sizes too small. She would then ask, will it fit? Hubby would respond and say, no I am not a medium I am a 2xl. She would say well them lose weight. (True story).
I collect wee forest folk mice. One year for Christmas she bought me a chubby little mouse standing in his bathrobe on a scale. She proceeded to tell me it reminded her of me. Really? B#%+€!
then there is a right way,
For me it was my nephrologist who suggested I consider WLS. He did this very respectfully but at the same time very sternly helping me understand that if I kept on my current trend I would be looking at dialysis and ultimately a kidney transplant.
There is a right way and a wrong way to deliver that message. Thankfully he delivered it the right way and I listened immediately.
I remember being very angry at my PCP for not having that same conversation with me before I got to that point. I had no idea that my kidney function had been so bad for so long, when my nephrologist pulled up my chart and showed me the downward trend was chronic and had been going on for years, I really got pissed that my PCP never said a word until I was at stage 3. Not 1 word. I spoke with her about it and told her that my nephrologist was my hero for helping me see the light. My PCP then told me she really should have been the one to direct me there and felt bad but she did not know how to deliver the message appropriately.
That was when I changed PCPs.

Hi everyone!
What a nice place Alex has set up for us here! As much as I love Spotlight and the Yahoo groups, it's nice to have a message board format just for us Bandsters. Let's spread the word!
Alexis
:twisted: :shock:
Fun emoticons too. lol

Hi All -
I'm Donali (pronounced Donnelly), 42yo female. I've been battling my weight all my life, done ever diet imaginable, and some beyond imagination! lol I was banded as a self-pay in TJ by Dr Lopez on 1/23/03.
My last pre-band diet was a year on Meridia, which really did help with my appetite - I went from 313 to 228 in a year. But, of course, once the medication was over... appetite kicked in, and I got back up to 303. Geez.
My sister had the RNY a few years back - she lost down to a size 18, and is almost back to where she started. She's frantically doing Atkins now. I almost had the RNY because my insurance would pay, but after watching sis regain, and reading more about the risks, I knew I just couldn't do it. My initial reaction to the band was "gross - I don't want that thing in me" until I realized that was my best option. It's not nearly as gross as I thought it would be! lol
My journey is slower than many, because I refuse to "diet" - I am mindful of what I eat, but nothing is off limits. I had 6 months of intensive compulsive overreating counseling, which has been a God send for my self-esteem. It also gave me a lot of tools to deal with my emotions seperate from food. This weekend I was craving M&Ms, so I ate a bunch of those, but that happens very very rarely. I know they're not off limits, so even if I overindulge I do not get down on myself or freak out, because it is so rare for me to do that.
Anyway, I continue to search for sneaky exercise activities - you know, the kind that are fun so you don't realize you're getting exercise. I am still at the point emotionally that I do not want to start a program that I might fail at - the 47 pounds I have lost should never come back as long as I keep my band and this current restriction, as I am just living my life "normally", not doing anything special. Sure, I'd love to lose faster, but not at the risk of all the good counseling work I've done. I'm looking at this as the rest of my life, and trying to focus more on living and not my WEIGHT, which has been an obsession most of my life.
My goals: To be at peace with food. To eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. To be good to myself emotionally, and be my biggest supporter! To be the kind of friend to myself that I am to others.
As a side benefit of these goals, I hope to lose another 121 pounds or so. Frankly, I'd be thrilled to reach 185 again - at least for a little while!
I'm filled to 2ccs after my 3rd fill 7/5/03. I am still able to eat a whole sandwich, but just barely. My fills tend to tighten-up after a MONTH, so we'll see how I'm feeling in August. I don't want my intake to be so low that my metabolism is further suppressed - my next big learning curve is trying to increase my metabolism.
Best wishes to everyone!

@@Swampdoggie I know you didn't ask but, I too have extreme nausea with percocet but am able to take vicodin (hydrocodone) without feeling sick.
Regarding marijuana, there should not be any groggyness the next day.

Before n After. Started at 277 n now I'm 130.

Hw 299 cw 159 ..5'8 22 months out

Hey all!! I wanted to share my update B&A pic, Halloween edition! I chose my outfit last year during the Preop phase. My surgeon, Dr. Ariel Ortiz, completely inspired my choice. He reminded me of Batman- intriguing, handsome, mysterious (even though after I met him he was still handsome but a total ball of energy- so cool). I thought of the operating room as the Batcave where he would whip me into shape with all his fancy gadgets and weaponry. So I decided last September I wanted to be Poison Ivy! A year in the making, I am so thankful and blessed

I'm a teacher too, and I totally suggest that you go for it over spring break! It's only one year that you will be taking that kind of time close to summer. It's for your health. This is a time you need to put yourself first.

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Hw 233 pant size 18-20 shirts 1x
Sw 216
Cw 164 current size 8-10 shirts med
Bmi 29
Officially overweight! !

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CAUTION! MEDIA HEADLINES MEAN TO SHOCK!
I was recently drawn into an online article with this tantalizing and provocative headline..



“Vitamin D Testing Not Recommended for Most People.”


This was the headline from the Harvard Health Blog. I HAD to read more, this surely couldn't be correct. Could it? Is all this ’vitamin D saves the world’ merely hype?
Not so fast. Remember, the media can’t sustain without an audience…even Harvard blog writers need readers. Flashy, conflict-building headlines do just that.
My beef here is that in today’s hurry-up world, there’s a good chance many people won’t read past the headline.
In fact, they may start thinking, “Hey, if Harvard says I don’t need vitamin D, I probably don’t” and stop taking the supplements their surgical team has recommended.
Before anyone does that, here’s what I learned from reading the whole Harvard blog piece.
1. Many scientists don’t agree on what a ‘low’ level of vitamin D is. 20 ng? 30 ng? 50ng?
2. Vitamin D research is at a crossroads because its not certain if there’s a solid relationship
between vitamin D levels and heart disease or cancer.
And……
3. Weight loss surgery patients are among the 3 groups of people that need to be
tested for vitamin D levels because of changes in fat absorption after surgery.
Will vitamin D prevent cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease? Not likely, on its own, but scientific research continues.
In fact, a clinical trial is underway involving 26,000 people that will provide some solid information on vitamin D’s role in our health. Look for the accompanying tabloid-type headlines in 2017.
Meantime, WLS patients, keep taking your prescribed supplements. You'll be glad you did.

The latest scientific evidence seems to show that if you are used to drinking caffeine, it won't dehydrate you -- not any more than water will. Technically it is a diuretic -- just like water is, with very similar effects and results -- and no one would say stop drinking water because it's a diuretic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html?_r=1&
http://www.webmd.com/balance/caffeine-myths-and-facts?page=2
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140402-are-coffee-and-tea-dehydrating
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee-myth-busting-cup-of-joe-may-help-hydration-and-memory

Lovely, beautiful, great pictures!!!!
Everyone is doing so well!!
I've been sleeved since feb 25, 2013 so about a lil over 19 mo- a lol over a year and a half- wow almost 2 years in feb! That's crazy!!! Still not quite at goal- but in not really sure what goal is - lol
Before

Some in progress

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Rosie gets paid a whole lot of money to give hers on national television every day. So that's what she does.
Besides, the show is called "The View" after all....

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Rosie gets paid a whole lot of money to give hers on national television every day. So that's what she does.
Besides, the show is called "The View" after all....