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Ohm

LAP-BAND Patients
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Everything posted by Ohm

  1. Ohm
    Hello everybody. And a jolly good day to you all. OK, so where are we in the saga of the emerging extension? The builders, bless their little cotton socks, are making progress and have now managed to remove the outbuildings, the garden gate, the garden fence, the concrete hard standing at the back of the house and the steps to the kitchen, which now means that you need ten league boots to get fromthe garden into the kitchen. The kids and dogs are very interested in all the kuffuffle and do just about anything to get out there and have a jolly good nose around - my main purpose in life at the moment is ensuring that their plans so to do are foiled. Evil laugh!!!! We have just returned from our second walkies of the day (actually it was a bit high speed and was more of a runny than a walkie). They are getting to like all this extra social interaction although it hasn't taught Kenya any more manners. She does love to be let off the lead but she is so fast that I always worry that she might just take off and, even though I run, I might not be able to reach her before she gets herself into trouble or frightens the living daylights out of some poor unsuspecting pedestrian. The problem is that she is a bit like a cross between a racing car and a rhinocerous - or possibly a Bugatti and a bulldozer. She is so heavy and moves so fast that she just knocks my legs out from under me on a regular basis. It's all joie de vivre and there is absolutely no malice - but there is no brain either!!! It's a problem. She comes charging up to me, full of love and excitement and just cannot contain herself, which results in muddy footprints all over the legs of the lucky recipient of her affection (usually me) in a best case scenario and a muddy seat to my pants and a few bruises in less favourable situations. Ah well, the course of true love never did run smooth. Well, I digress! The reason for posting is to let you all know that I am due to see my plastic surgeon this afternoon, as intimated in earlier posts and I am hopeful that she will permit me to indulge in a little running again - that'll exhaust my crazy dogs! I will post an update photo later along with news of what Ms Serra says. Please keep fingers, toes, legs, eyes and anything else you can manage crossed for me.
  2. Ohm
    Umm, I had my band two years ago and maybe I am just lucky, but I felt restriction immediately. I hve only ever had 1 fill of 2ml and I seem tohave found that sweet spot that allows you to eat a little but not to overeat. I hope you all find that spot too, eventually. Bon chance!
  3. Ohm
    OK, so I know I need to be careful how I say this cos I don't want to sound all "holier than thou" or anything, but to be honest, the truth is that, for me, to have reached goal weight is reward in itself. I can breathe.:thumbup: I have no pain upon exertion.:ohmy: I can walk.:ohmy: I can run.:ohmy: I can jump.:ohmy: I can play with my kids.:thumbup: I can help others less fortunate than me.:thumbup: I can exert myself until I can barely keep my eyes open and know that I can do so much more than I could just a few years ago.:thumbup: I started this journey all woman (and part of another one). I lost 70 lb (at my surgeon's insistence) before being banded and I was eventually banded in December 2007. I reached goal weight some time ago. I have had to learn how to enjoy life (and exercise:huh2:) instead of just food, which was a challenge but wasn't impossible. My kids have their Mum back, my life expectancy is back to normal and LIFE IS FABULOUS!:smile:
  4. Ohm
    I was banded on 17th December 2007, just before Christmas, and right in the middle of the festive preparations. I spent one night in hospital, had absolutely no pain WHATSOEVER and was home the next morning. I have 4 kids and I just stepped straight back into my routine and was back at work on the Monday. It was the best thing I have ever done and since then I have gradually and safely lost weight to a point where my BMI is now 24.1 and I have decided that i do not want or need to lose any more weight. Hope this is helpful.
  5. Ohm

    Hello from UK

    Ohm replied to kix2006's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

    Hiya Kix, I am in the UK, but I was one of the lucky (or purely bloody minded) ones who managed to get the op on the NHS. I had no pain post operatively and I am now at a BMI of 24.1 (or I was last week, hang on, I'll just weigh myself - yup, still 24.1). I have also just had an inverted T abdominoplasty - also on the NHS and am waiting to have my arms, boobs and thighs done - i.e. to have all the loose skin removed. There has to be 6 months between plastic procedures too allow for fixing of dog ears etc, (if necessary) alongside new procedures - saves on anaesthetist fees. Anyway, I can answer questions on the procedure and the experience, but not on the private system cos I was NHS. Anything I can do to help?
  6. Ohm
    I was at a BMI of 25, so I was at a goal weight and there was mostly skin and very little fat to remove. I had inverted T abdominoplasty and 2 kg of tissue was removed. However, the muscle repair and tightening has resulted in further restriction than just that offered by my band and I have lost further weight due to that restriction. My BMI is now 24.1 and I am delighted. I was banded on 17th December 2007 and I had the abdominoplasty on 12th February 2010. For those considering abdominoplasty - you can't take vigorous exercise for 4-6 weeks post op and that, in addition to the pain relief drugs, can REALLY result in problems with elimination, if you know what I mean. Constipation resulted in an apparent significant weight gain :ohmy::thumbup:(and then loss - AAAAAAAAAAAAahhhhhhhhhhhhh - thank goodness).:ohmy:
  7. Ohm
    I would agree: running is definitely the way to go. Burns calories like a demon but doesn't bulk you up - just make sure you have a well fitting sports bra if you are on the big side. Having said that, if you can't get big enough sports bras you can use thick folded over lengths of tubigrip (just a suggestion - it worked for me when I was a 46 JJ - all woman and part of another one, I was.)
  8. Ohm

    To Band or Not to Band???

    Ohm replied to RoniP's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

    You posted your thread back in November 2009, it is now March the following year - so did you goahead? I was banded back in December 2007 - and I had objections from my siblings but I went ahead and I am so glad I did. Let me disabuse you of a commonly held misconception - getting a lapband is by no means taking the easy way out - the easy way out is to stay obese. Having a lapband just makes it harder to eat too much. I can still eat biscuits and sweets and chocolates without restriction if I want to - the things that are restricted are the sensible foods - especially carbs and Proteins. This can be frustrating. I can't cele brate with food any more. I can't take out my frustrations with food any more. The whole way I deal with food and my life has changed. Having said that, with dedication you can overcome restriction and overeat and some people even manage to gain weight with a band. My best advice is that given to me by my banding surgeon - he told me that if I couldn't change my lifestyle and diet before a band was fitted then I would never be able to change it afterwards either. I lost 5 stone (70 lbs) before he would band me - and I made sure that my changes weren't don in a diet mentality. I know that if I ever went back to the way I used to eat then I would go back to the way I used to look and feel too. Diets do work - it would be impossible for them not to - the problem is that people think of a diet as a short term solution and they forget that if and when they go back to how they used to eat and live then the weight will soon return. It isn't easy but it aint rocket science either. The band is a tool. It can be useful when you take an interest and use it wisely and correctly. Over restriction (too tight a fill) can cause weight gain - although my surgeon says that the majority of his patients are always pleading for more fills and more restriction. Apparently too tight a fill leads to the temptation to drink more calories because you can't eat at all without pbing and liquid calorie sources tend to be denser than you think (milk shakes and stuff, I suppose). The band is a useful tool, but you have to know how to use it in order to get optimum function from it. So, did you go for it.....?
  9. Ohm

    I know it's not easy but ...

    Ohm replied to serenity55's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

    Please do go ahead and share it. She probably couldn't understand why it made me smile. BTW, I wear specs - you probably guessed. Having said that - and yes I know I am digressing - I had laser surgery a few years ago cos I had very poor eyesight (-10). My sight is still not perfect, hence the specs, but before, when people used to ask me if I could drive without my specs I used to have to admit that without my specs I couldn't even find the car. So being called a four eyed cow wasn't too bad!
  10. Ohm

    I know it's not easy but ...

    Ohm replied to serenity55's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

    This thread is fab, but I just had to share. I was banded on 17 December 2007 and had a BMI of about 35 when i was banded (having lost a shedload of weight anc changed my ifestyle before the op onthe advice of my surgeon). The band did work well for me, although I had to go through a period of adjustment and I had to learn that eating was no longer a solution to frustration. I knew I h ad made it on New Years Eve last year. I was in the supermarket carpark queueing to get out and getting frustrated, just like everyone else, having been queueing for ages. Anyway, I had all 4 kids in the car plus hubby - and we were all trying to be cheerful, laughing and mucking around. Suddenly woman in huge car tries to shoe-horn herself and car into my driving seat - someone else always wants the bit of road my car is sitting on. Anyway, we carried on being jovial and then, suddenly, this daft old bagage has climbed out of her car and is banging on my window. So how is this a good thing? Well, the good thing comes from what she said to me: Don't you laugh at me YOU FOUR EYED COW! That was fabulous! She hadn't called me a FAT cow! WONDERFUL! Sorry, just had to share!
  11. Ohm
    Just because nobody else has mentioned it,I thought I would mention that as a vegetarian I don't eat any meat and also I can't manage quorn (for the uninitiated it has a very similar texture to chicken). I can manage soya mince, though. I also found, post banding, that I can't manage chunks of cheese, even well chewed, nor boiled or scrambled eggs so I just gave up and became vegan - which is a lot easier.
  12. Ohm

    Let's be honest....please!

    Ohm replied to willbaskinnygirl's topic in Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories

    I am so sorry that this procedure has not worked for you. I was very lucky in that my surgeon made me change my lifestyle and eating habits beforehe would agree to fit the band for me. I lost 70 lbs by myself between consulting my surgeon and having the band fitted about 9 months later. At one of the first consultations he told me to lose weight first and I said that I hadno problem losing the weight - my problem waas keeping it off. His response was that if I couldn't change my lifestyle and eating habits before the procedure then I wouldn't change them afterwards and just havinga lapband fitted is not enough to ensure weight loss. The lapband is a tool. You will only be able to make optimum use of it if you use it with a certain degree of knowledge and skill (my husband can't use the electric drill for the same reason - he doesn't have a DIY clue). I would never presume to judge the seriousness or triviality of anyones weight problem - if it is a problem to you then it is a problem - but it sounds to me as if the band is just not the right treatment for your weight problem. Incidentally, my surgeon also told me that having your band too tight is just as likely to cause weight gain as as having no fill at all. No fill usually means minimal or no restriction which allows for overeating, wheras too tight a fill means that you can't eat any food and are more likely to drink your calories, which is likely to mean that you drink more calories than you need - the satiety factor of most liquids being very low andthe tastiest ones being most calorific - I'm thinking milkshakes and stuff here. Once again, I am so sorry for your bad experience with the band. Perhaps a malabsorptive op would be a better option for you, but you might find ithard to find a surgeon who will perform a malabsorptive procedure for you when your weight is at the current level. Having said that, and I make no judgement on this one (who am I to judge?) but there are people who are deliberately gaining weight to a BMI of 40 (35 if they have existing weight resultant medical problems) just so that they will be eligible for free bariatric surgery on the NHS. Just for the record, I started out with a BMI of nearly 50 and had my surgery at around BMI 35.
  13. Ohm
    Yes, do not fear, I got in this time. I am quite bowled over at your bravery and you know what, you look amazing. Isnt it astounding how resilient our bodies can be - especially after the ravages of overweight and obesity still they can bounce back and give us decades more faithful service. I think you must look much better now than before you lost weight, and you are goiing to look even better once you have all the PS.
  14. Ohm

    Oh la la! How brave you are to have these photos here. Your tummy looks just like mine did before my surgery. You are gonna be so hot after your abdo is fixed up! You look so familliar to me - almost as if I know you.

  15. Ohm
    Simultaneous posting, twice in a row! This could become a competitive sport!
  16. Ohm
    Did you accept the friend request? I tried to see your piccies but couldn't gain access cos it is restricted to your friends. Can't wait to see who I've been bantering with for all these weeks. I presume that the avatars are your own canine copins? Either that or you have regular facial reconstruction (lol). They are beautiful, BTW.
  17. Ohm
    What is it about a builder that they cannot manage to buy trousers that cover the crack in their a*se? Builders bum (definition: the top pf the buttocks showing when a pair of trousers is worn too low or when the wearer is bending over). Can't their wives buy a bigger pair of trousers? Have they all gained vast amount of weight since their trousers were purchased? Why can't they wear clothes which protect their dignity (and my sensibilities)??? Anyway, the sheds have been demolished and the game is on. The canine culprits (culprits for what? just everything) have enjoyed extra walkies and no doubt I am burning a few extra calories by taking them out for all those "comfort breaks". The back garden no longer has a lawn (oh well) a shed (errr) or a garden door so it is well and truly open to all comers. Never mind! Within 8 weeks we shall have a functional ground floor bedroom and bathroom for my boy - and life will be a lot easier. Does anyone else have junk food Thursday? We try to eat healthy, but on the grounds that if you are good most of the time you can be less sensible occasionally, we have junk food Thursday. On Thursday, when I am ebbing from the stresses and strains of maintaining my busy, noisy, psychotic (did I really say that, that can't be right) family through the week, but haven't quite reached the haven of the weekend, we relieve the tension by lessening the stress of preparing the evening meal. We have junk food. Well, lets be a bit more honest: they have junk food. I can't eat enough of anything to make it worth the extra calories and I don't like the salt resultant Fluid based weight gain inthe morning weigh in so I abstain. Arern't I a good girl? But basically anything froma packet counts. Favourites are noodles, chips (translation from Uk to US: french fries), supermarket pies, crispy pancakes, veggie burgers, veggie hotdogs (for the uninitiated: we are vegetarians - you'd never have guessed would you?) and occasionallly a take away (translation; take out) in the form of pizza, a curry or even a Chinese! I would strongly reccommend this practice. It results in kids who don't feel deprived but don't expect it all the time, which results in healthier bodies - and wife and Mum who is marginally less frazzled. Happy kids, happy Mum - husband eats everything - rather too much of everything but what are you gonna do? Somehow, knowing that Thursday is coming makes eating healthier through the rest of the week (including the weekends) less of a chore. Useful tip?
  18. Ohm

    Ohm

    Stop it now. Plateaus end - they always do - but don't let this one end with a weight gain. Keep on doing what you know you should and can do. Can you share with me whatever it is that is going on in your life? We are all in this together

  19. Ohm

    Ohm

    The people who care about you may not be able to say this to your face but I am bloody miles away so I can. Please, stop this now. It is hurting you. The acid damages your teeth. It is unpleasant. It is money down the drain - well I presume you pay for all this food which you binge and then vomit up. Why waste the cash?

  20. Ohm

    Ohm

    You are worth the effort it takes to resist this old and dangerous habit of stuffing food into your face. You dono't enjoy overeating like you once did. This response to whatever is going on (or not goiing on) in your life is no longer advantageous or beneficial and YOU MUST STOP IT NOW.

  21. Ohm

    Ohm

    Go and find a mountain or a coastline and scream at the sky (make sure there aren't too many people around or someone may telephone for the men in white coats). Go and scream at whoever is making you need to do this. Call a good friend and have a moan. Book an appointment with a shrink. Do any or all of the above,but don't put any more junk in your mouth.

  22. Ohm

    Ohm

    Sweetheart, you don't need to do this. If things are getting on top of you deala with those things. Comfort eating aint comfortable any more. It was never functional, even before a band, and right now comfort eating isn't pleasurable (it hurts) it makes you throw up (oh yeah, very comforting I'm sure and it is not a useful response.

  23. Ohm

    Ohm

    You are a good person. You are kind and gentle and honest. You have learned to reach out and ask for help when you need it, which requires courage and self knowledge - those kind of qualities are rare and valuable. Such a person must have a deep strength of character and that kind of person can only be carrying out these kind of self damaging behaviours through habit.

  24. Ohm

    Ohm

    You have done so much - you have put in so much effort - you must have done or your surgeon would not have agreed to band you. Why are you wasting all that effort? It is pointless. Eating to the point of pbing is hardly pleasurable, is it? What are you punishing yourelf for? Why are you abusing yourself?

  25. Ohm

    Ohm

    We've all been there. Here is one kick in the ass, coming up - brace yourself, this is done with love.

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