Dody

Although I agree with DeCarla and am not sure what I just watched I enjoyed it. I'm not a trekkie either, so you'll have to explain is this really a movie or a spoof on StarWars. Either way Kudo's to you for a great job.

I see some pictures of something Paul, but I don't see a picture with you or anyone else in it. Am I doing something wrong?

As sorry as I felt for you, I was laughing through the tears. That post was precious and one that should be kept for future reference. What you went through was horrible, and like I said you handled yourself graciously, well except for the poor guy checking ID's I would most definitely talk to my dr. No one expects something like this to happen, nor would I want it to happen to me. Meat tenderizer...yuck sounds like that would make me sick, but hey it's worth a try. I'm glad getting it out in the open made you feel better. There is a lot to be said for having a group support you and understand where you are coming from.

I see no one has answered you. All I can say is OMG you poor thing. I'm not banded yet, but I've never read anything written with more definition, courage and humor. You have managed somehow above everything to keep your humor. I have heard of PB's (I'm not banded yet) and now you are making me think twice about it. I can't stand throwing up. I absolutely hate it, and I have no clue what happened to you, but bless your heart I certainly understand how you feel. I've never heard of a PB as bad as the one you describe, and trust me it was graphic , and my heart hurts for you. I would hate to go through this, and it would be embarrassing to be with people and have it happen. I hope come Monday morning you are going to contact your dr. I can only think maybe you need some of that fill taken out. I have no answers, but I wanted you to know someone hears you and cares. I would have been terrified and it seems you handled yourself gracefully given the horrible and terrifying sequence of events. God Bless You Sweetie and give your dr. a call. Vent if you want...you paid him...you earned it, and get some anwers to what happened to you. Please follow up. I'm curious about what happened to you.

How do you advertise clothes on E.bay. Sounds interesting and I could make a small fortune, but won't change my mind about donating some of them either.

I loved Pretty Woman, and I too am a casual gal. I have kept everything...literally everything. I have size 10 up to size 22 and my closet is bulging at the seams. When I find out where I'm going to end up they have to go. I have gained and lost probably 1000 lbs. in my lifelong journey, but can never keep it off. I'm hoping the lap band is a tool that is going to serve me permanently, and then I'm donating all the clothes. I also love watching QVC and that doesn't help a bit.

Heart disease that has been resolved with bypass surgery is not considered a negative, but most certainly is a detriment if the problem has not been fixed. I have hypothyroidism and my dr. has said nothing about it in regards to the surgery. The part about hypertention surprises me, as this surgery is supposed to help people with hypertension possibly get off their meds. A lot of obese people have hypertension, along with sleep apnea and various other things that come along with just being obese (Lord I hate that word, but lack a better one). The fact is the surgery can reduce the amount of drugs or C-pap you may have to take, so having high blood pressure does not rule you out. I wish you all luck. I am looking forward to this journey with apprehension and hope. Does that make any sense? I am not that big an eater, but since my heart surgery I have lacked a lot of energy due to the loss of red blood cells that went on vacation during surgery. I remain somewhat fatigued and hope losing some weight helps me get more energy, and especially helps my feet from hurting. I could walk a mile were it not for them, but I think perhaps they are just carrying too much weight right now.

I had my gallbladder removed just one year after heart bypass surgery. I was concerned, but you know what it was a piece of cake. By the next day I felt OK, just a little sore. Just pamper yourself a little and you will be fine. I haven't been banded yet, but I do know that my gallbladder scars were merely held together with steristrips that fell off themselves. I feel so much better now that the nagging pain is gone, and it sure doesn't keep me from eating everything I ever did (unfortunately). If I had been thinking banded at the same time, I would definitely have had them done at the same time. Stay strong and happy. It isn't that bad.

Jack I would swear from your responses that you have a doctorate degree or a degree in psychology. How did one man get so smart? You give some great answers with some great compassion...both of which are strange for a man :scared: You also make a lot of sense, something most men don't do.

I just noticed you had your surgery in Idaho. I'm from Idaho but getting my surgery done at my daughter's in Tennessee. One reason is because Idaho only has those 2 surgeons who do the surgery and they don't accept Medicare patients. They also didn't have the track record I was looking for of having done thousands of patients, but I'm sure they are fine. You seem to be doing exceptionally well. I leave April 10 to fly to my daughter's and meet with the dr. on April 13. I have all my post-op work done. I'm older than most of you, and not definite he will even do me, but I'm sure counting on it and it sounds pretty positive. I have permission from my heart dr. and GP. We aren't very far apart at all. I stay in Tennessee a good part of the year and in Idaho some of the time, but own a residence here. Glad you are doing so well. I went to one of the seminars here. Dr. Cahn is truly a short little guy isn't he? I worked as a medical transcriptionist for years and years at St. Als and St. Lukes and then in later years at home. I also was an ER nurse, so I worked pretty hard during my younger years.:sick It is now time to rest and take care of me and weight is the first issue. I weight 270 lbs. and believe it or not I gained it all after quitting smoking. I still would trade the weight for the horrible habit, but wish I had handled it differently. Keep in touch with me and PM me if you ever feel like it. I don't like to put too much personal info out there.

If someone else ate that many calories in one day you would support them. That's what this site is about. Everyone falls off the wagon sometimes, but you have to just love yourself enough to get back on and know you are worth it. Don't hate yourself over one mistake. Just learn from it. Everyone here has done something wrong at some point or we wouldn't be hear learning from each other. Put those calories behind you and concentrate on the ones in the future. :scared:

There are times when skin touches skin and produces this redness and swelling. It's pretty common and very irritating and honestly is caused by yeast. Lamisil works wonders at getting rid of it permanently. You might want to give it a try. It is great stuff. You can buy it generically, but actually the real thing is much better. Hope you feel better. I always have it on hand.

Bad news, phentermines are pure speed. They hype you up, make the heart pump too fast, and are dangerous. Please don't even consider them.

My pets are my babies, now that the babies are grown. My heart would break if anything happened to them. It is undeniably cruel to dump pets like that. I would rather see them dropped off at the animal shelter than to just dump them in someone's yard. I too would have taken them in. Someone knew you had a kind heart perhaps, but shame on them for doing this. You will be rewarded in heaven. The best treat in the world is love.

Requiring a man to do two things at one time is asking a lot :scared: Talking on the phone and eating do not mix.

I appreciate the feedback. I did post an intro under the Tennessee thread, but perhaps it got overlooked. I'm not going to be banded till late April as I'm battling an ulcer right now. I will be with family when I have my surgery and my youngest daughter is a nurse. I have 5 children and am 64 years old. A little old to be a newbie huh? This is something I have to do for myself though to add years to my life. Can you be new and old at the same time? :scared:

I haven't been banded yet, but I'm just wondering if people are having a beer, why then can't I have my diet soda?

I made a comment last night about newbies feeling excluded here in such a tight knit group. I got a nice private message today from someone who told me she felt bad I felt that way, and that I just needed to yell louder to be heard. It's hard to be accepted into a group of people who have become internet buddies, and yet the newbies really need your help. Most of you have experienced the things we are going to go through or are going through, and that is why we come here. Last night someone posted a picture of a lovely woman by the name of Blossom who had died. I have to admit it scared me because I didn't know her or if she had died during lap-banding surgery. Someone was kind enough to fill me in and I appreciate that, but it is things like that that make newbies feel strange. We didn't know her, and just a few words to relieve our minds how you lost her would have been appreciated rather than just a picture. I have to admit it scared the be jesus out of me thinking something had gone horribly wrong in surgery. Please take a moment when you post to realize a newbie has no clue what you are talking about when you discuss someone or something we have no knowledge of. Take a minute please and remember when you were new and before you became solid internet buddies and allow us some room to move into your hearts and get some good advice from you too. Thanks for the opportunity to speak my mind. We come here hoping for support on our new journey, or help coping with problems that arrise, and you can all be a great inspiration to us all. I enjoy each and every thread but sometimes become lost in the talk that goes on because I don't know the people or what you are referring to. Needless to say the special person that made me feel welcome was one who has had many problems of her own and whose posts I enjoy thoroughly. Thanks DeCarla for taking time out to write to me. You are an inspiration to everyone on this forum.

Wellbutin should only be taken if you are trying to quit smoking, not if you are planning on continuing. Most anti-depressant and anxiety meds are habit forming, but sometimes the effect they have is worth being addicted if you understand what I'm saying. I suffer from panic attacks that are horrible and Xanax prevents them. I would rather be addicted to the Xanax then ever to have another panic attack. They feel like heart attacks. Doctors will tell you that Zoloft is not addictive. I hope you will trust me as a retired nurse to tell you it is addictive in the sense it makes you feel better and you therefore continue taking it. It's like smoking....it's an addiction. For some people taking an anti-depressant or anxiety med, regardless of addiction, is better than the effects felt without it. Some people can't live a normal life without some help from meds.

If you can get away with having a beer, why on earth do I have to have my Dr. Pepper confiscated? Carbonation is carbonation in any form. Any chance I can take a few sips of it once in awhile. I'm going to have withdrawal if they take that and my root beer away from me. I have a friend who had gastric bypass and she lives on soda pops. Why is the band so different? Wouldn't it be OK if it wasn't excessive? Really would love to hear if anyone ever has a soda pop. Am I wrong in thinking all that foam on beer is caused from carbonation? I don't drink beer, and I never have, but I would love to know if I can get that Dr. Pepper down. As far as wine goes I can't even drink it now. It gives me heartburn for some reason, just as champagne does, so I stay away from it. More than anything I will miss my soda pop.

If calming your nerves is the problem you are probably better off with Xanax or Valium. Effexor is an anti-depressant. In my case it made my heart beat very fast and I couldn't handle it. Everyone is different though. I spent a period of time on Prozac and wanted to hurt everyone in sight :scared: I have finally found a drug called Celexa that makes me feel much better. You nerves being shot and being depressed are really two completely different agendas. I couldn't live without my Xanax as I get panic attacks really bad. If you are a smoker Wellbutrim is not right for you, as it actually is used to help stop smoking, so it's not really a good choice if you aren't quitting (which of course you should as we all know). There are some great drugs out there for a variety of symptoms. You just need to talk with your doc and explain what is bothering you.

I'm not banded yet, but can only imagine what you are going through. It is a scary journey to take alone, but I'm sure there are some great people on here that have probably been right where you are. Perhaps you are very swollen. You will probably feel better when you have the barium swallow. I think it must scare everyone a little to know they have changed their body and their eating habits. I know it is going to scare me, and I'm probably going to regret it for a week or two, but everyone here seems to come around and is happy with their band. There are problems that you read about, and I surely hope you aren't one of these, but try and think positive thoughts for now until someone who knows more than me can help you out. Have faith that you made the right decision and you are just going through a tough time. I've heard people suggest warm liquids, perhaps that would help.

I had to quit smoking 5 years ago because of heart problems. It was the toughest thing I ever did, and I'm now the worse non-smoker in history. I can't stand to be around it. It's the best thing I ever did for myself. I can walk by someone in a parking lot and tell you if they are a smoker. The smell gets into your skin and clothes and never goes away till you have quit for good. I wish everyone luck on their journey. It is a dangerous habit for sure. I have the stents in my arteries to prove it. Smokers often don't think that smoke clings to anything they wear and in their hair, but it does. It also ages people and gives them lines around their mouth, not to mention shortness of breath. I know talking about it won't make anyone quit, but think about being around for your children and grandchildren, and not wanting them to pick up this habit. It is deadly.

We have been commenting in our house how much Ace looks like my youngest grandson. I better lock him up from you women. Now my Ace is only 17, so that makes him jailbait for all of you, so remember that :scared: My Ace is named Dallas though, but he plays the guitar and has his own band and is pretty terrific (even if I'm prejudice) and the phone never stops ringing for him with girls, girls, and more girls and he seems oblivious to all the attention. His life revolves around music. I wish he had tried out for a show like this. I think Ace this year is Bo Bice last year!! The girls and women of all ages love him, but some of those girls have fantastic voices, especially the one who is the youngest of the group. Nice to see some fun discussion on here.

So many of you here may jump at the chance to denounce me, but I think this board is "run" by just a few people who seem to call all the shots. They either like you, accept you, or plain out ignore all your posts. I'm not into pointing fingers, but some people never respond to my posts, but then again I don't agree with a lot of their posts. A lot of people are personal friends, which is a great thing, but often makes a newbie feel totally excluded and unwanted. That is just my opinion. I continue to read and try and contribute, and yes even volunteer that I am scared of the impending surgery, but most of you talk among yourselves like newbies don't exist at all. Shouldn't this forum be for everyone and everyone treated alike? Just my 2 cents. I think friendship is a beautiful thing, but not at the exclusion of other people who sometimes have no clue what you are talking about to each other.