PhotoNut

At our local bandster support group meeting the other night and one guy whose wife was going to be banded soon asked if the counselors had seen the food addiction being replaced by other addictions, such as smoking or drinking, once people were banded. Others chimed in different addictions such as drugs and gambling but no one was responding until someone said shopping and then lot of women in the group raised their hands and laughed!

Susan - I was so freaked out about the needle that I almost cried! The doc had to have his nurse hold my hand! LOL I swear, I didn't even feel a sting, or a pinch, nothing at all. I really felt stupid for being so afraid, after it was over! LOL So don't be scared. The needles are so thin, you just cant feel them. Wade - You have a famous belly! w00t!

Hiyas Judy and welcome to LBT! We were all in your shoes once.. nervous, scared, excited, etc. It's very normal. And this tool is fantastic! I was banded on Jan 9th and including my pre-op diet I've lost 57 pounds. I love my band! Best wishes for an easy surgery, speedy recovery and successful weight loss journey! Shackdog is also getting his band on Monday!

I was self-pay in here in Idaho, and ended up paying about $26,000 including all of the pre-tests. There went my photography studio equipment! :Banane04: I'm not sure how the insurace scam works, but I believe that insurance only pays a percentage on these types of bills, so the hospitals jack up the price to get a higher percentage out of them. Anyone understand how that really works? Am I even close in my assumption?

I see the Tennessee version of Dody lurking on this thread! Hiyas Dody, how's the south? Vines! LOL

Well, there's me! *waves hello* I was there Tuesday night and was the one who asked which Jacqie was from Idahobandsters. Paul (aka Dawg here on LBT) and I will be at the dinner tonight.

It's late, I'm tired, I'll update tomorrow rather than have y'all weighing over 2 thousand pounds again! :Banane04:

LOL!!! Jonathan!! Excellent!

My first memory after surgery was in the recovery room. There was a man in there who had just come out of back surgery and he was yelling and complaining about pain. There was noone around me and I was trying to lift my hand to signal for someone. A nurse appeared over me and I asked her if I got the band, (I was so worried my liver was going to be too fatty!) and she said yes, everything had gone just fine. I fell asleep again, but was awoken by that poor man who was screaming now. I could hear the nurses telling him to calm down. I was getting more and more upset by for the poor guy so I started talking outloud saying I wanted out of there, I was upset. Next thing I knew I could hear my daughter saying "There she is" and they wheeled me into my room. The had me on some sort of hover thing that made it easier to move me from the gurney to the bed. I knew then just how sore I was going to be! OUCH! Getting up and walking was misery. I didnt have a catheter, but they threatened to put one in if I didn't pee enough - trust me, I wrung out my kindeys! No catheter for this girl.. No Sir!! Thirst was the second biggest issue for me, after pain. I've never been so thirsty in my life! My mouth's watering right now from the memory! *laughs* I was given a sponge on a stick that my husband dipped in Water for me and I ran it over my lips and gums. Nothing was to go down my throat until the barium swallow the next morning. Dying of thirst would be a horrible way to go!

One cup seems to be my norm. My doc told me that prior to that first fill, you'll be able to eat just about like you did pre-band but not to worry about it. They'll get you adjusted when the time is right - if you even need it. I was eating about a cup at a time but getting hungry every 3 hours, so I got a fill at 6 weeks. I still eat about a cup but only get hungry every 4 hours, and I'm losing an average of just under 3 pounds per week. I could get a fill to reduce my intake to 1/2 to 3/4 cup but why? I like not being too tight, being able to eat chicken and broccoli without fearing pb's. As long as I'm on track with the weightloss and I'm not hungry, I'm not going to worry about being able to eat a full cup (sometimes a bit more if I've waiting over 4 hours to eat).

Woohooo! Grats on your success! Express jeans... hmmm, is this a new goal I see? What are these Express jeans and where does one buy a pair to hang up in the bedroom as goal jeans?

Ah! Now that makes perfect sense. I'm trying to get up the courage to find a good therapist for that very thing. Last night, in our local support group there were several people who talked about being banded long enough for the original "high" to wear off and then they were staring into the face of the problems that got them fat in the first place. Those were still there, still trying to eat away at them, still driving them to the behavior of self loathing. The band takes care of our stomachs but we are still left with our heads to deal with, aren't we?

Happy Anniversary Kathy and Hubby! :clap2: 9 years! w00t!:clap2: Grats on the shrinking boobies, Maggie! I can't wait!!! Heather, when you get your pics of your darling girl walking, I'll add a couple of my favorites of my son - from 20 years ago! hehe

Happy Weigh-in day everyone!! I will get the updates in tonight. Good job y'all! Here's mine: C 250 (57 lbs total, -4 this week)

"I've been involved in a torrid love triangle with a set of swarthy Rumanian trapeze triplets" LOL!!! :rockon: :pound: :rockon: I guarantee that this reply would get lots of laughs and that would be the end of the questions, unless someone sincerely wanted to know and they pulled you aside to ask more discreetly. Um, let's see... how about: I decided it was time to take care of me, so with my Dr's supervision I changed my eating habits and lifestyle and it's really paid off.

TommyO, you are so awesome. Where do you get all of that wisdom? And dare I say it... how does all of that understanding come from a guy?! *snickers* (just teasing) I have a question though. I have seen so many posts about forgiving one's self, but every time I think of applying that to MYself, I instantly feel like curling my lip and scowling at it because to ME it feels like making excuses. And haven't I done that all of my life? Excusing the behavior has only led to more of the same behavior. How many times do you forgive someone that's trying to kill you? For that's exactly how I view it now. I was trying to kill ME. Stuffing all that poison into my mouth, knowing it was taking away my ability to walk, to breathe, to sleep well, to live. During the past several weeks, I have really been thinking on this subject in regards to my life and I truly believe that I always forgave myself everytime I ate huge amounts of food, thus enabling myself to do it again. I've taken on a whole new attitude about it now. I do NOT forgive myself for trying to kill myself. That's not something to forgive, it is something forbid. I absolutely refuse to allow anyone to harm me or my loved ones, and that includes ME. I am my own worst enemy. Does this leave me feeling broken and down on myself? Nope. It leaves me feeling FREE and SAFE. When I embraced my behavior and kept allowing it, I felt TRAPPED and SCARED. I am no longer a prisoner because I forbid ME to lock myself away inside a world that is dominated by food. I hope this made some sort of sense to someone. I'm just beginning to come to a full realization of it myself. I don't love the person I was, I do loathe that person for what it was allowing to happen to me. However, I am starting to get a glimpse of the person I am now and... well, the new me is something to be proud of.

Here we are, its April already! The Boise support group meets tonight at 7pm. Thats in 30 minutes! LOL See you there Boise Bandsters!

ajenkins07 - Oh yeah, I can relate! It was very hard to get in enough "food" in those first few days. Just sip tiny sips and keep some form of liquid by you at all times. You're not on an eating schedule yet so don't worry about how often you need to eat. Just follow your body's cues and keep yourself hydrated. Waterlily is correct. The only restriction you'll have until your first fill will be from swelling. The more that goes down, the more hunger you will feel. Check out the food forum for lots of great threads filled with ideas about different ways to get enough calories and Protein while sticking to your prescribed diet of liquids and mushies. And be patient. This is the time for healing. Take it slowly. Each day will get better and you'll be able to drink more at a time.

I seem to be a steady loser. I'm averaging 2.93 pounds per week since banding. Here's my weightloss record: 12-22-05 307 (start pre op diet) 1-09-06 291 (-16 in 17 days) (Band day) ---------------------------------------- 1-16-06 287 (-4) 1-23-06 279 (-8) 1-30-06 277 (-2) 2-06-06 274 (-3) 2-13-06 272 (-2) 2-20-06 268 (-4) 2-26-06 265 (-3) 3-05-06 264 (-1) ----------------- (switching weigh in to wednesdays) 3-08-06 265 (+1) (only 3 days after last weigh in) 3-15-06 260 (-5) 3-22-06 258 (-2) 3-29-06 255 (-3) Over 50 pounds gone! ----------------- (switching weigh in to sundays again) 4-02-06 254 (-1) (only 4 days after last weigh in) 4-09-06 250 (-4)

Mine's in the same spot too. Just under my bra line on the right side. If I slump when I sit, I can feel it. So my band is doing two jobs for me - weight loss and posture correction!

Perhaps self-abuser would have been a better choice of words. I certainly didn't mean this as a put-down and I hope Lisa didn't take it that way. I used to think I used food as a comfort or reward, but I'm starting to realize that it was more of a punishment. It becomes a vicious cycle. You eat, then you grow disgusted with your self-preceived failure, so you get mad and just eat out of control. Hating yourself more with every bite, not understanding why on earth you're ruining yourself. That is what I meant by self-hater. I'm a fun loving, outgoing, caring person as well. I care for others far better than I care for myself. I can be excited about life when I'm with others. I can be an entertainer in a crowd. But get me alone with ME and the whispers start in my head and I end up eating out of anger at myself. Well, this WAS my pattern. I may face it again one day but for now, thank God, I can't. My post was meant to show empathy, not to make anyone feel as if I was putting Lisa down. *shrugs* Sorry, if it came off that way.

Jamie! Look at your ticker girl! That HAS to feel amazingly awesome!

Hello Yoda! May the Band be with you! hehe Happy you found us and just as Donna said, jump on in. This is a fantastic group of Losers! And your surgery date happens to be on Dawg's and my anniversary of the first time we met. Perfect day for starting a new life!

He is a short little thing, but no, he didn't have to use a stepstool to give the fill. However, he does have his very own platform that he stands on during surgery! *laughs*

Heyas Alex. I don't mean to pester you, but I'm still wondering why I can't attach pics in my journal anymore. Any ideas? The paperclip icon is gone. If that's a feature you decided to remove, I'm fine with it. I'm just going nuts trying to figure out why I could do it before and can't anymore. Thanks a bunch.