Tricia K.

Oh my gosh, I know exactly how you feel. The feeling isn't as strong now as it was in the beginning but I do have my moments. Like the other day while I was shopping. I was looking for some jeans, picked up a pair of size 16's, looked at them and said "these are not going to fit me." Well, guess what? They did fit and I bought them!! It's so strange looking at at clothing that you used to wear and what you wear now. I absolutely love it though. Best of luck to everyone for successful weight loss!!

Woo hoo! I'm game for this...here goes.... Before Surgery Height: 5'6" Weight: 274 pounds Pants size: 22/24 Shirt size: 2X/3X Bra size: 42DD Shoe size: 7 1/2 Ring size: 7 1/2 After Surgery (5 1/2 months) Height: 5'6" Weight: 216 pounds Pants size: 16/18 Shirt size: XL/1X Bra size: 40DD Shoe size: 7 1/2 Ring size: 6 1/2

Apryl - I know exactly how you feel. Most days I eat because I know that I have to but I'm rarely ever really hungry. I admit though, there have been a few moments since my surgery that I've craved something. Typically, it's a filet mignon!! Hee hee!!

Penni, you hit the nail on the head! Thank you! :confused: Donna, as I've said before, everyone is entitled to their opinion. With that said, you couldn't be farther from the truth. Understandably, personalities are often hard to determine on a message board.

Whew!! LOL....I thought I was going to have to explain this forever. :confused:

That is so unfortunate and I'm sorry that you had to go through such a horrible experience.

Kelli, I'm asking for insight as to why people wouldn't do extensive research before blindly going under the knife to have Lap Band surgery. And, to answer your question about the necessity of the question, I'm going to cite a question I've read many, many times. "If my post-surgery diet consists of ice cream, Cookies, regular soda, etc., why am I not losing weight with the band?" I mean, come on!!! Didn't you have the sense to ask your surgeon and/or nutritionist BEFORE you had surgery what you should and should not eat in order to lose weight with the band? It isn't a magic pill. It's a tool. That is the type of question I get so annoyed with. Hence, my reason for asking the question.

Yes, my question may seem a bit harsh, but I felt that it was necessary to ask, and I'm not going to apologize for asking. Some people here seem to think that I'm picking on others but, all I'm trying to do is better understand why people don't research prior to having this surgery. Again, blind faith is just not my thing. And to answer another question, yes, there have been times in the past when I've experienced something and thought "why hadn't I thought of that?" but, as of now, it wasn't related to this surgery. I'm not saying that I have all of the answers or that I know everything there is to know, but if I ever need information about this surgery or anything related to it, I try to find what I need to know before I start asking questions of other bandsters. That's me. Furthermore, I'm not asking ANYONE to be like me. Lastly, if I come across as being unsupportive, forgive me. That's not me either. As many of you are well aware, feelings/emotions are very hard to express via just words on a message board. I think this site is great and very helpful for a lot of people.

I'm happy to hear that you're back home and that your surgery was uneventful. Best of luck for a speedy recovery.

I'm not referring to any specific group of people (wired/unwired), but people in general. Even those that don't have access to a computer and its vast resources, I just can't understand why they wouldn't ask questions of their doctor, read as much printed literature as they could, and attend as many support/seminar groups as possible before going under the knife. Having blind faith is so hard for me to comprehend. Like others that have posted in this thread, I wanted to know everything there was to know before getting this surgery. And Wheetsin, your situation may be unique. You did your research and still have questions.

Is it just me or does anyone else find it odd that someone would go under the knife to have Lap Band surgery but not do a bit of research beforehand? I can't understand why people do this blindly then have the audacity to ask the thousands of questions they SHOULD have researched before the band was placed. I risk the chance of being flamed for asking this question but I just had to. It's been bugging the heck out of me for months. Ok, I'll get off of my soapbox now. :faint:

None of the above. I think you should either throw them away or give them to someone you don't see that often. Either way, you've already contributed to the Girl Scouts.

Height: 5'6" Weight: 216 pounds Pants size: 16/18 Shirt size: XL/1X Bra size: 40DD Shoe size: 7 1/2 Ring size: 6 1/2

Congratulations!

Coffee/lattes/etc. do not keep me awake. I can drink one and fall asleep 10 minutes later. Please don't lump everyone into the same category. Everyone is different.

This is directly from Debby's first post for the challenge: First Start Date, January 3,2006 End Date March 1,2006

I'm in the zero-calorie club. I'm a Splenda girl.

My husband has been 100% supportive through the entire process. He knows that I have PCOS and couldn't lose a significant amount of weight without the help of the band. He did almost as much research pre-surgery as I did. He wanted to be well aware of the advantages/disadvantages/possible risks, etc. before I had the surgery. He went with me to my first appointment with the surgeon so that he could ask his many questions. I flew solo on subsequent appointments because we didn't feel it was necessary for him to come. The morning of surgery, he asked the anesthesiologist a bunch of questions. I'm a lucky girl to have such a wonderful husband.

I gained steadily from about the age of 11 or 12 because of PCOS. Of course, I didn't know I had PCOS until a little over 5 years ago. That's when everything sunk in - - - "jeez, no wonder I was gaining weight even though I was an active kid and I ate relatively healthy"

From what I've read, caffeine can increase your appetite. However, this is not the case for me. I don't deny myself caffeine 'cause love coffee, lattes, etc.

That's exactly the brand/type I was referring to in my earlier post. I absolutely love it. I have both the chocolate and the vanilla and I don't mix them with anything other than skim milk. However, I do refrigerate them for at least an hour so that they get that yummy milkshake consistency.

I don't see any harm in starting on protein shakes early on. I've found that Body Fortress and EAS whey protein powder shake mixes taste the best - - either vanilla or chocolate. Wal-mart and CVS both carry a 30-serving size tub of Body Fortress. EAS makes smaller containers if you're just looking to try it out. However, they're more expensive than Body Fortress. The last time I purchased EAS was at Rite-Aid. However, I think they have it at GNC.

If I finish this in time, I'll be the first to post after PhotoNut. In any event, as you can see, my name is Tricia. I'm 34 years of age and was born and raised in Central Oregon. I moved to NJ at the age of 23 to be a nanny (which lasted all of 2 years) and ended up staying there for a total of 9 years. After my stint as a nanny, I worked in the publishing/advertising industry until my most recent move to Louisiana in March of 2004. Speaking of my recent move, it was all due to the love of my life, my dear, sweet husband. He and I met online in October of 2003 and spent all of 19 days together before I made the big move. Other than having lap band surgery, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. He and I have been married one year, as of this past January 2nd. Still somewhat newlyweds, I suppose. Anyway, I could keep rambling about my wonderful marriage and husband but I'll spare everyone. My husband and I have no children together but he has an 8 year-old son from a previous relationship. My step-son is a great kid. We do have 3 cool cats though. In any event, we plan on trying to get pregnant around this time next year. Wish us luck. I have two older brothers. The 2nd oldest, who lives outside of Seattle, has two children. The other still lives in Central Oregon, along with my Mother, of whom I'm very close to. My father passed away 12 years ago. I miss him dearly. I've been heavy since about the age of 11 or 12. Unfortunately, I never understood why I was constantly gaining weight until 5 years ago when I was diagnosed with PCOS. I've never been an overeater or one to binge, but I progressively gained weight due to the syndrome. After so many failed attempts at losing weight, I felt that my last option was lap band surgery. I'm so happy with my decision. Anyway, I hope this gives you some insight into the life of Tricia K. Now, on to the required stuff...LOL. Highest / Present 283 / 216 (- 67)

The band is meant to be a permanent implant. Unless you're unfortunate enough to have an erosion or some other complication, it should remain. Additionally, my experience with fills has been nothing but positive. I'm not afraid of needles but I can honestly tell you that out of my 4 fills, I've never once felt the needle. A word of advice, if you're afraid of needles, don't watch while you're getting a fill.

I've uploaded the PDF file to my site. Here's the link. http://www.geocities.com/tricia_kutz/94832C_LB_Patient_Card.pdf