Angelica

Oh, see, we're lucky, here, we have a sunbeam bread factory. On a good day, in the middle of summer, you can smell it all over the city, a buttery bready, nice smell.

Thank you She Smiles, I wasnt going to continue going back and forth with someone who obviously was bitter, angry and looking for a fight, but you made the point that I would have.

tee hee SUE ANGRY. You know, the whole, fighting on the internet thing, its kinda retarded, but I will say this, Sue, I am so glad you lost the weight you needed too. I'm sorry that youre angry over your 3 years with the Lapband. I'll make my goal weight, I dont need you to have faith in me, I have faith in myself. I dont need to be over 30 to understand what is BEST FOR ME. Oh, by the way, thanks for reading my journal, its full of my own insights, that again, I dont need your approval or anyone elses on. Good Luck, God Bless!! Hearts (but no farts) -A

Oh dont get your charcoal panties in a twist. Everything is fine, Lapband patients made one choice, and DS patients made another. If what you read is offensive, stop reading it. Please, save the whole 'how dare you' diatribe for a group of people that are more apt to listen. We have ALL struggled with various negatives from ALL of our surgeries. Nothing is perfect, and everyone has their own preferences. Myself, I prefer the fact that I am turning into a health nut. I prefer the fact that I now get up and exercise everyday. In fact, if I DID happen to lose my band, I have SOLACE that I would be able to maintain, and continue losing weight because my LIFESTYLE has changed.

Okay, I swear, this is the last link I am posting, I just really needed something to chuckle at whist at work today. This has really lifted my spirit and reminded me why I chose a band, and what hard work is worth. My Secret Identity Was Almost Exposed At Wal-Mart Last Night

I guess I just cant get over the fact that they'd be willing to deal with all this emotional strain over bullsh*t food. They are writing like they have found the holy grail, and the rest of us are all ignorant fools who just dont understand their need to eat entire boxes of girl scout Cookies, and 3 double cheese bugers at a time. I cant follow the thought process, but I am ordering some charcoal underwear to give to my bestfriend as a gag gift. HA.

Oh holy Sh*t, this woman got WRITTEN UP AT WORK for her GAS. question for those who had/have gas And yes, I have had horrid gas. Was even written up at work because of it, and had co-workers make rude comments and accusations. I don't work there any more. But no one told me, early on, how Probiotics would help, nor how carbs affect the issue. Once I got that going things settled quite abit. Also, if you Google charcoal underwear, the first thing that comes up, those help a LOT. wtf is charcol underwear, are you KIDDING me? That is BEYOND HILARIOUS. excessive intestinal gas relief problem flatulence remedy prevention cure treatment filter fart absorb gas be gone gasbgon ultratech Underez gas odour liner remedies Oh Sweet Jesus, check THAT out.

The first time I was able to tie my shoes without my face getting all red, and losing me breath, I thought it was a miracle from God :biggrin: I hope your surgery goes well, let me know how youre doing!

Keep going sugar. Keep plugging along, you will adjust, and as you start to lose weight, you will feel awesome.

let me try to answer some of your questions: I've had the band for about 6 months now, Sugery on Oct 23, 07. LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT. if you wanna talk, hit me up. I am by no means a PERFECT bandster, and I am learning along the way.

Honey, the band is more effective, in my situation, that a regular diet because it FORCES a lifestyle change. I have been yo yo dieting for so long, and I realised just the other day, when I tried to eat like I had eaten before (briskett burritto, I love them), and I had to make a MAD dash to the bathroom at work to avoid projectile vomitting on my coworkers. My band is FORCING my habits to change. Once you've PB'ed like that once, believe me, you'll want to avoid the experience for the rest of your life. Its sort of like negative reinforcement when that happens. I have been able to cut out all bread, why? because it HURTS when I try to eat it, and most of the time it comes back up. Its like reeducating yourself completely on food. So think it over, I'm sure you will make the decision that is BEST FOR YOU.

I hope your surgery is going well, just stumbled across your blog, and I said a little prayer for you. As for the laxative, believe me, I know, I hated the cleaning agent they make you use before sugery, it dried my skin out so badly. Let us know how youre doing!

Congrats on your sugery date! I know its a little difficult to think about going under the knife, esp. with the kids, but I am sure you will be just fine. On an added note, maybe your boyfriend just really wants you to be healthy, and to be able to take a more active role in life? Stay on the positive side, if you can, dear, it makes the whole experience so much easier.

Welcome to the blogging section of LBT then! I'm so glad youre here, its nice to see an experienced bandster.

I also, have been taking cymbalta for almost a year and a half, and had no issues at all. I'm sure you should be fine. Just keep plugging away!

Congrats!! You know, my port pain went away about 3 weeks after the surgery, came BACK about 2 months out, and then went away again 2 weeks later. Youre going to be just fine, remember to keep taking those pain meds, you dont want to hurt something else trying to adjust your body for the port pain. -A:thumbup:

hahaha, those are kinda funny, right? Jealous simpletons, why would they even take the time out of their day to say something like that. Shows their level of evolution.

I am not quite as mental, and I feel alot better. Didnt over eat, didnt drink last night. I am headed in the right direction. Addiction, at least for me, is about instant gratification. How do you work weight loss into instant gratification, how do I become addicted to being a health nut? This is going to be my new task. Called a therapist, have an appointment on Friday. Its gonna be good. Today, the road seems so much clearer. -A :biggrin:

I am not quite as mental, and I feel alot better. Didnt over eat, didnt drink last night. I am headed in the right direction. Addiction, at least for me, is about instant gratification. How do you work weight loss into instant gratification, how do I become addicted to being a health nut? This is going to be my new task. Called a therapist, have an appointment on Friday. Its gonna be good. Today, the road seems so much clearer. -A :biggrin:

Issues, Issues, Issues. Food, I hate food, I love food. Food is the worst abusive boyfriend I have ever had. Albeit the longest boyfriend I have ever had. My band is tight, I have GOOD RESTRICTION. I can’t stop myself from eating until the food is gone, or until I am uncomfortable. If it’s in front of me, I have to eat it. I have resolved that I should get the food away from my face whist I am trying to make this change. In order to do that, I do a variety of things. If I am eating at my desk at work, and there’s more food than I should eat, I pour water or tea over the remaining food, and throw it away (don’t ask, yes, I have to ruin it before I throw it away). When I first had my band, I didn’t have these issues, I wasn’t tight enough to have them, I could eat however I liked, and I didn’t lose a lot of weight. I still haven’t lost a lot of weight, but I am trying my hardest to make the best choices when it comes to food. Since the tightening of the band, (I am now at 5.7 CC in a 10 CC AP band) I have started drinking. A lot. Like, every night, and if I don’t drink every night, I am thinking about drinking every night. Drinking has caused me to make some very stupid mistakes, and hurt myself even further. I don’t understand, is it not knowing your self worth that makes you want to hurt yourself, why do we sabotage ourselves? I just want to be free of all these addictions, and be able to breathe again. I can’t quit smoking, I can’t quit eating, I can’t quit any of it. Sometimes, I wish I could just go on disability and live in a nut house for a few weeks to help myself center again. I feel an emotional distance from God, from my family, from my friends. I make incredibly stupid choices sometimes. I feel out of control. Its strange, to honestly consider joining one of these programs to get your life straight. Having said that, I do have a good job with good insurance and an understanding boss. I have all of those things. If I feel like its necessary, why don’t I JUST DO IT. Mostly because of the social stigma, maybe it’s that it will make me feel like a failure. I don’t want to drink anymore. Sometimes, I think, okay, maybe I just need some talk therapy, sometimes, I think, okay, maybe I should detox my body and go on a 30 day juice fast to connect with God. Sometimes I think I just lack will power and I need to knuckle up and deal with it. The fact is that I NEED help, and that’s the most important thing. I guess today I will be making an appointment with a talk therapist. Maybe I just need to go to the freaking support group meetings that the WLS clinic offers. Christ, I feel completely confused and totally out of my element.

Issues, Issues, Issues. Food, I hate food, I love food. Food is the worst abusive boyfriend I have ever had. Albeit the longest boyfriend I have ever had. My band is tight, I have GOOD RESTRICTION. I can’t stop myself from eating until the food is gone, or until I am uncomfortable. If it’s in front of me, I have to eat it. I have resolved that I should get the food away from my face whist I am trying to make this change. In order to do that, I do a variety of things. If I am eating at my desk at work, and there’s more food than I should eat, I pour water or tea over the remaining food, and throw it away (don’t ask, yes, I have to ruin it before I throw it away). When I first had my band, I didn’t have these issues, I wasn’t tight enough to have them, I could eat however I liked, and I didn’t lose a lot of weight. I still haven’t lost a lot of weight, but I am trying my hardest to make the best choices when it comes to food. Since the tightening of the band, (I am now at 5.7 CC in a 10 CC AP band) I have started drinking. A lot. Like, every night, and if I don’t drink every night, I am thinking about drinking every night. Drinking has caused me to make some very stupid mistakes, and hurt myself even further. I don’t understand, is it not knowing your self worth that makes you want to hurt yourself, why do we sabotage ourselves? I just want to be free of all these addictions, and be able to breathe again. I can’t quit smoking, I can’t quit eating, I can’t quit any of it. Sometimes, I wish I could just go on disability and live in a nut house for a few weeks to help myself center again. I feel an emotional distance from God, from my family, from my friends. I make incredibly stupid choices sometimes. I feel out of control. Its strange, to honestly consider joining one of these programs to get your life straight. Having said that, I do have a good job with good insurance and an understanding boss. I have all of those things. If I feel like its necessary, why don’t I JUST DO IT. Mostly because of the social stigma, maybe it’s that it will make me feel like a failure. I don’t want to drink anymore. Sometimes, I think, okay, maybe I just need some talk therapy, sometimes, I think, okay, maybe I should detox my body and go on a 30 day juice fast to connect with God. Sometimes I think I just lack will power and I need to knuckle up and deal with it. The fact is that I NEED help, and that’s the most important thing. I guess today I will be making an appointment with a talk therapist. Maybe I just need to go to the freaking support group meetings that the WLS clinic offers. Christ, I feel completely confused and totally out of my element.

I just wanted to write a review of my surgeon, Dr Bruce Applebaum, and post it, should another person like myself from El Paso come here for advice. Initially, I came to the Sierra Providence Obesity Clinic. They gathered my paperwork, I had a visit with their in house nutritionist, and with their in house shrink. There was like a 400 question test that I had to take and bubble in, it felt like the sats, I was nervous :thumbup: There are several surgeons associated with the Sierra Providence Obesity Clinic. Dr. Applebaums name jumped out at me because he had previously performed a hernia surgery on my stepfather. After all those requirements were met, I worked with the insurance coordinator, I was pushy, I wanted my surgery ASAP, I wanted to move quickly. So, I bugged, and pushed, and called the insurance company and the clinic 3 or 4 times a day. The staff was VERY patient with me, and I knew I was being a pain. Finally, (I say finally, like it was a long time, but it was only 3 weeks) I got my approval. The same day I was scheduled to see Dr. Applebaum. Throughout those 3 weeks, I carefully researched my surgeon, I checked online references, I reached out to other patients I had found online. I looked for complaints. I also was required to attend his information seminar. I was impressed with the way that he took his time to carefully understand and answer questions of the other patients at the seminar. He LISTENED, and that has not been my common experience with Doctors in El Paso. I asked my questions, he answered, I felt that he leaned toward preferring the Gastric Bypass, but I knew I wanted the band, and he didnt PUSH me, he explained complication rates, and how the band differed from the Bypass. When I initially met Dr. Applebaum, I got a sense that he was a perfectionist, that he didnt like failure, and that he was incredibly percise. In addition to that, he was very personable, he made me feel comfortable, all of these were good things. My surgery was scheduled QUICKLY. I saw Dr. Applebaum on Thursday, and was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday of the next week. It was sort of a shock, but he expressed having faith in ME. He was impressed with my knowledge of the band, and he appreciated that I had researched, and knew what I wanted. Surgery day came along, my mother came with me. It didnt help that she was more nervous than I was :eek:. She told Dr Applebaum that he had better keep me safe (I'm 26, but still very much my mothers baby) We went through all the hoops (am I the only one who hated the hospital socks with the treads?) Surgery went well, when I woke up, my port HURT. There were painkillers, and I got a few good snoring naps in afterwards, I was provided a private room with a shower and everything. It was nice, it was comfortable. Dr. Applebaum came to check on me, sat with me, explained the importance of following the eating guidelines one more time. Looked at all my medications to determine if I could continue taking them, or if they needed to be split up, gave me a perscription for liquid Lortab, and told me that I could go home that night IF I FELT COMFORTABLE. That was a big deal to me, he didnt try to rush me, it was about me feeling up to it and okay, and I did, so I went home. Subsequent visits to his office are always plesant. Sometimes, there is a wait, however, again, to me, he is worth the wait. My first fill was under floro, subsequent fills were done in office. His staff, his nurses, all of them are more than kind and put up with my cheesy jokes. There is no judgement in his office, its just the Doctor and his staff trying to help you. So, should anyone have any questions, please feel free to forward them to me, I would be more than happy to help =) -A

Okay, so, I am Jewish, right? My dads side of the family is catholic, my moms side is Jewish. Well, some of my aunts have been 'born again' Christains, which is fine, but Easter is a big deal to you guys! Anyhow, so we got together for Easter celebrations because we dont want to leave anyone out, that isnt nice. My family jumped on my case so bad. 'Why arent you losing weight faster', 'Youre still fat', Why did you have a sugery when you couldnt lose weight faster, 'Are you supposed to eat that', 'Dont vomit on me' Stupid stuff Ignorant stuff, so since half of my family is being kind, and inviting people to an Easter celebration when we dont do the whole Easter thing, I decided that I would drop some knowledge on some people. No, I will NOT lose as much weight as a Gastric Bypass patient as quickly as they will. Yes, I STILL have to diet, no this ISNT the easy way out. I was defensive. I am the tallest woman on that side of my family, and the heaviest. My entire family is under 5'4. They are all blonde, and cute, and have big blue eyes. Angelica is 5'6, shes got really pretty green eyes, brown hair, and a giant gutt. God, I hate this gutt. I wish I had a different body type sometimes, all though I realize, I was lucky to get what I have. I have thinner legs, and no butt, but my upper torso is huge, and I have a hanging pannus. The pannus isnt TOO big, in fact, its getting smaller, but still. I dont like it, its gross. What I have been noticing is that every morning, when I crawl out of bed, I am happy to look at myself in the mirror, I SEE a difference. I am so excited. I am so glad I had this surgery. My friend Priscilla is considering having the surgery as well. I made a commitment to her that I would go to all of her appointments and wait for her so she wouldnt be scared. I have noticed that sweet jesus is it difficult to get back on the straight and narrow when you cheat. Alot of people say that your body craves what you put into it, and I slipped up and ate some crap when my peroid came around, and that just totally messed me up. Now I am struggling to retain some control. I can do this. I CAN do this. My mother also said something the other day that made me want to scream. She said 'I think the reason your belly looks bigger is because the rest of you is getting smaller and its like an optical illusion' THANKS MOM. All of me is getting smaller! I'm excited about my next fill, its a month from now, but I have nice restriction now. Just gotta eat better foods. Better foods, gotta get back on the right track, maybe going grocery shopping would be a good idea? -A :biggrin:

Okay, so, I am Jewish, right? My dads side of the family is catholic, my moms side is Jewish. Well, some of my aunts have been 'born again' Christains, which is fine, but Easter is a big deal to you guys! Anyhow, so we got together for Easter celebrations because we dont want to leave anyone out, that isnt nice. My family jumped on my case so bad. 'Why arent you losing weight faster', 'Youre still fat', Why did you have a sugery when you couldnt lose weight faster, 'Are you supposed to eat that', 'Dont vomit on me' Stupid stuff Ignorant stuff, so since half of my family is being kind, and inviting people to an Easter celebration when we dont do the whole Easter thing, I decided that I would drop some knowledge on some people. No, I will NOT lose as much weight as a Gastric Bypass patient as quickly as they will. Yes, I STILL have to diet, no this ISNT the easy way out. I was defensive. I am the tallest woman on that side of my family, and the heaviest. My entire family is under 5'4. They are all blonde, and cute, and have big blue eyes. Angelica is 5'6, shes got really pretty green eyes, brown hair, and a giant gutt. God, I hate this gutt. I wish I had a different body type sometimes, all though I realize, I was lucky to get what I have. I have thinner legs, and no butt, but my upper torso is huge, and I have a hanging pannus. The pannus isnt TOO big, in fact, its getting smaller, but still. I dont like it, its gross. What I have been noticing is that every morning, when I crawl out of bed, I am happy to look at myself in the mirror, I SEE a difference. I am so excited. I am so glad I had this surgery. My friend Priscilla is considering having the surgery as well. I made a commitment to her that I would go to all of her appointments and wait for her so she wouldnt be scared. I have noticed that sweet jesus is it difficult to get back on the straight and narrow when you cheat. Alot of people say that your body craves what you put into it, and I slipped up and ate some crap when my peroid came around, and that just totally messed me up. Now I am struggling to retain some control. I can do this. I CAN do this. My mother also said something the other day that made me want to scream. She said 'I think the reason your belly looks bigger is because the rest of you is getting smaller and its like an optical illusion' THANKS MOM. All of me is getting smaller! I'm excited about my next fill, its a month from now, but I have nice restriction now. Just gotta eat better foods. Better foods, gotta get back on the right track, maybe going grocery shopping would be a good idea? -A :thumbup:

Hey Guys =) I'm jumping back on the LC BandWagon. Oh, just as an FYI, theres this really awesome site with a support forum and a HUGE recipe section Atkins Diet & Low Carbohydrate Support. There arent many bandsters there, but there are a few. So lets break it down for today Breakfast - Crab meat, baby. This stuff is expensive, but at 145 Cals 0 carbs and 30 grms Protein, you CANNOT beat it. Lunch- Green chili stew, no potatos, just beef and chili. Delicious. About 3/4 of a cup. dinner - TBA, probably wings. I normally dont snack inbetween meals, but should I have a snack, I will post. -A