JanetC

Hi Jen! There's a couple of threads about weight loss & PCOS as well... do a search for them. We're in TX, so I can't help you with a doctor, but I can tell you that I love my band! It's forcing me to change my attitudes & behaviors re: food. I'm not sure bypass would have done that... that's the main reason I chose the band. It's a tool... I have to work with it. Welcome to LBT, we're glad you're here! :eek:

working on stuff... sorry for replies, lol. will clean up when done.

Just dropping by for a sec... this week is hopping! I'll catch up with everyone later. Pat: PB = Productive Burp. There's a thread that Jessibear started with descriptions of it: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=17215 We're doing ok... the scale finally moved for Mikey, woohooo! Poor thing was hanging in there, but it was really tough, since everyone says he should be beating me & he wasn't. Then, in one fell swoop, he jumped ahead of me by 5 pounds!! Brat! Back soon with more time to spend (I hope). Gotta get the challenge written up!

I'll post the clothed ones & PM you the nudes. :grouphug: Can I just say WOW!!!

I'll be happy to do it, Kel! Give me an excuse to look at 'em all again! Do you want before/after of each view side-by-side? Or are you trying to get all of them together? (They'll be small if we do that.) Let me throw some together & see what you think. :bananadoggywow:

Hey Sme! I'm too old for your age-related questions & Alex did a great job answering the others, heh, but I wanted to say hi!! Welcome to LBT! We're glad you're here! And if I could have had it younger, I would have! Just hadn't heard of it. :bananadoggywow:

My hair was blonde... um... once upon a time. Before I had friends, lol. (Went red on a dare... found out I love 1 change -- hair color!) When I went for laser treatments they had to dye my hair before the treatment, lol, so the laser could "see" it. :bananadoggywow: My "beard" is black, though... when it's not gray & springy **sigh**. (Does Aunt Ruth have a beard? Not sure, but Aunt Janet does! :Banane20:) I do have Native American blood (and a bunch of other stuff, true mutt)... wonder if that's close enough?

Oh my goodness, Jane! Congrats on your weight loss! Sounds like you've conquered your addiction & have things well under control! :bananadoggywow:

LOL Jachut! Awesome story!! And a decreasing back size is something to cheer about!

Surgery (anesthesia) dries out any fecal matter that's in your bowels. No matter how little you eat, there's always some fecal matter... it's a matter of waste products from living. The longer you wait, the more impacted it gets. I was hoping the MOM would do the trick for you, but after 6 days... it most likely can't get through the barrier of dryness to get to the bottom of it all & really work. I strongly recommend Ducolax suppositories. I know it sounds gross, but the longer you wait, the worse it will be. Suppositories work from the bottom up... so they'll be able to effect the impacted fecal matter. I can tell you that from my personal experience, we did a Fleet treatment pre-op, so we were as empty as we could get. I had a BM about 36 hours after surgery. We stayed overnight, but as soon as I got home I had one. Small, but it was there. I continued to have at least a small one daily. Benefiber added to my Water helped me to not have painful ones (it's tasteless & dissolves to be clear & is non-bulking). Good luck, Yoda! I don't envy you the next 24 hours! But seriously, you'll feel better if you get things to moving again!

My doctor said no strenuous exericse for the first 10 days (other then walking). Then to listen to my body... if it hurts, don't do it. I haven't done abs yet (10 weeks out), because it still hurts when I do 1 crunch. At 12 weeks I'll push through the pain, I think. Until then, I'm taking it easy & just doing other aerobic stuff. :bananadoggywow:

Oh Robyn! I'm so sorry you're going through this!! The others have had great advice, so I'm just adding a ((((((( HUG!! )))))))

Good luck! Don't work yourself up too much, heh, it's totally anti-climatic (or at least it was for me! :bananadoggywow:)

Pre-op, full meant stuffed & really full meant groaning, painfully stuffed. Post-op but pre-fill, I struggled with the measurements. I was angry at having to give up my love affair with food. (I'm still fighting that anger daily.) I ate as much as my band would allow. If you're eating until it hurts, I don't think it's good on the band or your body (just my opinion). The band did tell me when I couldn't go any further... I'd get mild pressure "behind my breastbone" (best I've been able to describe it). I burp a couple of times -- not "real" burps, just small, almost "large hiccups". Then, if I continue to eat, that pressure becomes pain -- like a golf-ball stuck behind my sternum. And if I continue, that pain becomes an "incident" -- sliming or PB. After several weeks of fighting myself... of trying to get that "stuffed" feeling even with a band... of trying to get what I remember full to feel like... I've given up. Post-op "full" is not pre-op "full". We're aiming for "not hungry"... for "satiety". In another thread someone (I think Jack), suggested the following: 1. Start with a one cup portion 2. Take a small bite... 3. Chew to goo 4. Swallow & sit for 30-60 seconds with your mouth empty (watch a 2nd hand!) 5. Ask yourself, "Am I still hungry?" (Hungry = growling stomach or other physical symptoms. PHYSICAL, not mental!) 6. AS SOON as you can answer, "No, I'm no longer hungry." Stop eating. My doctor suggested I limit my portions to one cup... then if I'm still hungry in an hour, eat again. 9 times out of 10 I'm not hungry in an hour, so the cup full works. Now I just have to get over being angry about that! :bananadoggywow:

Gooney-Goo-Goo, lol. :bananadoggywow: Love your sense of humor, Kim! You always make me smile! I gotta say, I hate when doctors tell us to quit researching! Knowledge should not be something to be feared. I know it sometimes makes us more difficult patients, but seriously, they shouldn't be afraid to tell us WHY!! On the nurse telling you your diagnosis was PCOS, that was probably from the insurance coding. They code for payment, heh, not necessarily the "correct" diagnosis at any given second. You should see my super bill, lol, they have everything under the sun circled!

I'm praying for you, Brenda! While you're unfilled, any possibility of skipping the TV viewing? Switch it up for a late night walk? Take some water with you, walk to the park & drink it while you look at the stars? (Yeah, I'm being romantic & not practical, LOL!) When do you start getting fills again? Hang in there! You are a winner! You will conquer this!!

Hiya Hay! And welcome to LBT!! You're doing the right thing... researching! I believe the band is as successful as you let it be. It isn't a miracle cure... it's just a tool. You can have the best hammer in the world, but if you never take it out of your toolbox, that nail isn't making it into the wall. When I researched, these were the theories I came up with on why the average is 36%: If you're a sweet eater & don't change your eating, the lap-band won't be successful (it doesn't restrict sweets... they slide through the band very easily). If you're a liquid/soft calorie eater (drinks, Soups, yogurt etc), the lap-band won't help much -- same thing, they slide through. If you don't follow the bandster rules, the lap-band won't be successful. Drinking with meals allows the food to be diluted & slide through. Not eating Protein first will effect your weight loss. Making poor food choices will effect your weight loss. If you don't ever get fills & get to appropriate restriction (often called the "sweet spot"), you won't lose effectively. Fills can be expensive for some... so they put off getting them. Or perhaps they're afraid of the needle. Personally, we have fill appointments monthly. We don't have to get a fill every month, but the appointment is there, so we're taking full advantage of the band. Basically, the band will allow you to feel full on less food. The more weight you have to lose, the more that restriction of food volume will effect you -- even without changing WHAT you eat. However, eventually you get to the point where you'll either have to exercise more or change your eating habits in order to drop more weight. Some aren't willing to make that change, so they settle for less of their excess weight being lost. There are a few that obey all the rules & still can't lose weight. We call them "turtles". Often, there's an underlying factor... something hormonal or a disease or syndrome. Most doctor's will attempt to identify these problems pre-banding, but sometimes they don't. I wouldn't say that it's a large percentage of folks, but they are vocal! :bananadoggywow: For myself, I decided that I don't have to be average! I can choose to make the required changes... I can allow my tool to work. So far so good! We're glad you're here!! Keep asking questions! :Banane20:

Ya know, I woke up thinking about my last trip to GNC & Vitamin Shoppe. They didn't charge me tax. So I went on a search & found: So forget the tax, woohoo!! :bananadoggywow: Not sure why the Isopure rep was so insistent that I have a sales tax id... but there ya go!

Wow, that's awesome!! Welcome to LBT & congrats on your approval & date! Ask tons of questions & read all you can! We're glad you're here!

Congrats K@t! Hope it all goes smoothly & that you're up & about in no time! :bananadoggywow:

It's definitely an aquired taste. To me, it tastes like Kool-aid with that lovely whey Protein aftertaste. I don't mind it, but Mikey says it tastes like mud, lol. Of course, he's learned to like it. He drinks one more or less every day. It's hard to get better protein (160 cal, 40g protein). I find that when I'm over hungry I over eat. So if I drink an Isopure first it gives me time to slow down & be smart. I try to always have some on hand. Today I was super restricted (first time for me), so I'm using it for my food. :bananadoggywow: I'm like a Boy Scout, lol, always prepared! :Banane20:

Welcome to LBT, Smart! We're glad you're here! Hope your insurance comes through for you!

Happy birthday!! Hope it's the best ever!

LOL, you go, Yoda!! Or rather, heh, you'll go, Yoda!

Oh my word, Mary!! You look awesome!!! Congrats!