MrsFlipFlops

Scrapbooking for me has been a good distractor when I watch TV. I've also been actively redoing our budget- trying to find the best way to invest the money I'm no longer spending on food! My sister and I have started working out at the gym at work. That helps with nighttime munchies because the workout is so hard, I never want to do it again- therefore I don't eat so I can someday not workout that hard! lol This forum helps too- of course, sometimes I'm reading this forum and eating ice cream... so maybe not. I wrote a list of all the things I want to do when I lose certain goal weights (like going to Six Flags, going go karting). I try to remember those things when I feel "hungry" or when I go out to eat.

The hair test will detect as long as they test for opiates. But- it's easy to get a bad reading with dying hair or stripping it. Or shaving it. The tests your request should test for at least five categories: opiates, benzos, thc, amphetamines, cocaine. Most testing places do a 13 panel (which all the more inclusive- just make sure his drug of choice is one of the ones covered) a lot of time people with opiate addictions make a quick jump to cocaine.

liquid Tylenol. The pain med they prescribe made me feel nauseaous (spelling?) and sooo sleepy, that I couldn't even enjoy my time off work! My husband went out and bought a recliner for me because I couldn't lay down on the bed without pain and spent the first night sitting up on the couch sleeping. The recliner helped push me up without many muscles, and allowed me to sleep without too much pain.

Every doctor really is different... I don't know that I could've handled some of your guy's doctors. So strict. By week three I was having all food soft- real food too. The only thing I couldn't have was beef, seeds, and potato skins. I could have those after my first fill- which was about 5 weeks post op.

Gloucester- we probably have people reading that saying to themselves, "What's wrong with that?" lol

Amen! The punctuation is the worst. I just can't read when it's all strung together. I just skip over those and move on.

Good luck!!!

This thread becomes much more dull when people start apologizing! :thumbup: I tease, of course. :tongue:

This has been a very interesting thread... I've never been skinny- so I'm excited! :ohmy:

Well, I haven't had the band personally for that long, but I do have a good friend who has, who has had one port revision, and that was it. She's had it for 8.5 years. Every person is different... I'll be interested in people responding to this one too...

Having worked as a child abuse investigator, I have seen many divorces where a one parent used some type of substance. Rx addiction is very real and very serious. It puts your child's life at risk when they are with him. Given my background, I take substance abuse really seriously, since I don't know your particular situation, you'll have to edit and see if what I say helps at all! :Dancing_wub: The court can order drug tests for him. If I were you, I would request that they be random with as little notice as possible- as there are many ways to clean your system. They are used way more often than people know. Especially with the thought of losing visitation with his child, it may be more and more tempting to find a way to beat the system.

I don't think I can add anything more... you guys are great at providing a pick me up! :Dancing_wub: I know how you feel... I mean, in the aspect of not knowing what to do when I am feeling so emotional and can't eat. I don't know what to replace food with... really food was my best friend! My mom is really sick and I take care of her too, that alone is SO difficult to deal with. Something that has helped me cope with my mom, not only watching her at a young age of 53 deteriorate, but also taking care of her (and everything else- work, bills, weight, etc...), has been to talk to others. I post on a caretaker forum and have been looking for support groups in the area. I have two older sisters who also take care of my mom with me and talking to them... who understand the SPECIFIC condition that she has, helps so much. You're not alone. I'm sorry about the BF thing. My husband had those same concerns about me losing weight and the thought about losing me. But I assured him, he loved me when I am big, he certainly deserves me while I'm thin. I'm losing weight partially FOR him. So we can have a life that involves other things besides the couch and food. :thumbup: My husband has been with me through all the middle of the night ER visits, week long hospital stays, hallucination phone calls, everything my mom has been through (her disease in unknown by the best medical doctors). Finding the right guy who will respect all you do and love you not in spite of, but because of who you are, is worth waiting for. Be proud of yourself, you'll make it. I know it hurts and I'm sorry.

Don't feel bad, you didn't develop these bad habits overnight and you're not going to lose them overnight. As long as you're back on track, that's all that matters. Reading everyone's post, I have realized we are our own enemies. We can't keep beating ourselves up. Be proud that you had the courage to get the band in the first place and praise yourself for every GOOD decision you made. Good job on the protein shakes! The first few weeks are SO hard. I'm just now (almost 2 months post op) feeling normal and happy with the decision I've made.

I think this is exactly what I needed to hear. I just have good days and bad days I guess. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I think I need to really address the emotional aspects of losing weight. :-) You're right 33 lbs ain't that bad. There's no way I would be down to this weight without the band. In fact, I'd probably would have put on 10 more pounds. lol Thanks.

I've had two fills and still can eat more than I should. I get "full" at around 3/4-1 cup of food. I wouldn't feel bad about eating pizza. That's okay every once in awhile. When I eat more than I should or something really bad, I feel so awful about myself. But listen, it took awhile for me to learn all these bad habits, it's going to take time to break them. Don't feel bad, just stand up and keep trying. You're on the right track already, don't let you sabotage yourself. Sometimes I feel like I don't really want to be thin... it's scary because I feel like being thin will change who I am. You've got to overcome the emotional aspects of it as well. You're doing a good job, just keep trekking.

I can't seem to decide... somedays I feel like I'm doing well and somedays I can't seem to understand why I haven't lost more weight. Since 2/1 (the day I started my low carb pre op diet) I've lost 33 pounds. I feel like this isn't enough, and I've seen others lose more quickly. I'm having a hard time adjusting my eating habits and behaviors. I STILL love you eat. My biggest problem is eating out. Even though I don't eat as MUCH, I still eat, and when I want more I drink with my meal. I just had my second fill, which helped, and I got for a third in about three weeks... Can anyone tell me... am I on target? My doctor says I'm doing well, but I just don't feel like I am today!

My thoughts exactly. When discussing a topic, we shouldn't attack the PERSON or their other beliefs. I haven't engaged in this kind of behavior, and it's a poor choice for anyone else to. Golly, I am wondering if I'm back in high school! :blushing: But still enjoy reading. Thanks to all posters- no matter your side! :cursing:

My biggest worry preband was that I was going to die on the table. I was so scared of that, the morning of the surgery I almost chickened out. Post surgery, my biggest concern is that I will not learn what "full" means. (I'm still early in the post op stage) And because of overeating or something, I'll stretch my band or cause a slip.

This may seem lame, but I'm going out on a limb. I got my second fill on 4/1/08 and was talking with a girl getting her third fill in Dr. Smith/Ferrera's office. You said you post on LapBandTalk too. I thought about it after leaving the office that you and I seem to have a lot in common regarding the LapBand and thought maybe we could help eachother, but I didn't get your name or LBT logon ID. If you were getting your third fill at this office in Fort Worth on 4/1/08 and were in the office around 11am, PM me so we can chat! :wink_smile:

A good tip our nurse told me was if we're out to eat, or wherever, to have a glass of ice. She said what melts while you are eating is about the amount you can have.

Def. get another opinion. My dr performs both surgeries and he recommended the lapband due to less complications, less recovery time, reversible, adjustable, etc.... I weighed 380 to start with. It's slower than bypass, maybe that's why s/he recommended bypass.

Tell your hubby to bugger off. J/k. I didn't feel good enough to really go out for about 2 weeks. I went back to work at a week, but with walking and all that I was still very sore. If you're not up to it, stay home and assure him you'll go when you're feeling up to it.

I was reading Redbook today when I saw a page about checking the health of your hair. There was one "test" you can perform, it stated take a strand of hair and place it in a cup of Water. If it floats, your Protein level is fine, if it sinks, you have a protein deficiency. With all our attempts at making sure we get enough protein, I thought this was interesting. I tried my hair and it floated. Of course, I've never seen hair sink... Anyone else heard of this before? Anyone currently plucking their hair out now and testing? I'd love to see what people's results are. Heidi

I wasn't commenting on the assumption, I was commenting on you saying "It would be intersting to know which side of this debate throws around false statements the most." I think the comeback on the assumption was fine. I don't know why we've gone on all attack! I'm not just saying you, I mean everyone who's posting... myself included. I'm personally getting offended with some comments. I don't think my blood pressure can handle it.

Although leos, I would like to say I don't think it was gadget's business whether you were there for yourself or for someone else. Even though I'm prolife, I still believe in the protection of privacy. And the right to live without being scrutinized and looked down upon, no matter our choices.