sistasassy

I know that, right now, almost everything outfit I wear has at least one article of black clothing. Black is slimming and also makes you sort of invisible because people are drawn to color. My pastor said that once I begin to lose weight, he expects more color in my wardrobe. Color enlightens the inner spirit as well and gives you confidence. My secret sister at church just bought me an outfit that is 2 sizes too small for me. It has more color and is beautiful. She said it is for when I start to lose weight. I have a funny feeling there will be lots more to come of that from people at my church.

I told my hubby right away and, once that I had begun the process, told my children (ages 16, 14, 13, 12 and 12). I felt that they should know that a) I was doing something that would help me to lose weight and live a longer life and :biggrin: that it was not okay to become this heavy because it can develop into serious health problems. One of my sons (the 13 year old) is a bit (not much) overweight and has been going with me to all of my appointments. He has been learning alot. I have noticed him making better food choices. The other four are right where they should be. I wanted my family to know what I was doing and why. When you give them the "why" then they know it is not just to be the skinny girl on the block or to show off or have guys (or girls) drooling after you. You give them the "why" and they know that you want to be healthy and live a long life to be with them.

I would take the humble side, give her the desk, and be done with it. Once the desk is gone, you never have to deal with her again. You can then get on with your life and start letting it all go. That would be the easiest way. I do understand the angry side. Been there myself, but it is much easier in the long run to just let it go. Concentrate on the fact that you have your space back and that it is now clean! :biggrin:

My insurance only needs a psych eval and a meeting with the nutritionist BUT my surgeon has a whole list a test he wants me to do...just like you. The only thing I do not have to do is the supervised diet. Still, it is hoop after hoop. Hang in there. It won't be long and you will be banded. Your time is coming quickly and then you can breathe a sigh of relief.

I love fish. Spinach makes me gag.

Oh yeah, I am feeling much better now. I was on Lorazepam for a while and found that it puts me into an extremely foul mood. I will cry and cry for hours. I even told them this at the hospital last week. What did they do after that? Gave me Lorazepam. My doctor got wind of it when we got home and gave the hospital "what for" because of it. I was a mess for about 48 hours. Not sure what set it off. I wish I could isolate the trigger so I could avoid them. So far, no luck. Which antidepressant do you take? I take Cymbalta and love it. I take it at night before I go to bed.

Round and round the block we go just to watch the show. :smile: Kind of like the other day at my house. I had another stupid panic attack (my meds didn't stop this one at all). Ended up that my son called an ambulance because of the chest pain I get with it and there were sirens everywhere. You can never just get a nice quiet little ambulance around here. Gotta have the ambulance, fire and rescue, and the police AND this lucky time they even sent a fire truck because....well, I am not sure why. Talk about feeling stupid when they wheel you out. The whole neighborhood and all the strays out there on the sidewalk to see what happened. Oh well, would have been me if it was someone else. Having everyone stare at me is almost worse than the panic attack itself! :crying:

I tell ya, I think some of those posts are definately for shock value and just to see what can be started. Kind of like going out looking for a fight and not really caring who with. I think it is definately interesting at times.

From the times I have visited the Rants and Raves section, it should have been named the "Fight Club". :thumbup: I say that affectionately so, please, no one kill me.

I believe that I read that it is because warm fluids relax the muscles and cold fluids cause the muscles to contract. Weird.

My HCG levels were so low that no one believed I was pregnant until I was 12 weeks along and they saw him on an ultrasound. I tested totally negative on about 6 urine tests and 4 blood tests. I knew all along that I was pregnant and that he was fine. I could just feel it. Don't worry about those levels unless something else freaky is happening as well. Our bodies do their own thing.

I would assume that getting approved for the gastric bypass surgery would be very similar to being approved for the lap band. You would need to find a surgeon and then go from there. You do know that this site it primarily dedicated to the Lap Band and not to gastric bypass and that they are two totally different things?

Does anyone take Cymbalta and if so is there any trouble getting it down? I take mine at night before bed so I am hoping I will not have much trouble.

Whoooo! I totally did not think of shaved meat. Awesome idea. Chopped up real fine it would be a mushy.

My doc said to prepare to have to stay overnight just in case but that most people he does go home the same day. I will leave my overnight bag in the car and send my hubby out for it if need be. I have a little tote that I have be preparing to take with me. It is a "Survival Kit", kind of like they make for college kids. It has: toothbrush and toothpaste deodorant Dove body wipes body spray (I have to have my spray :teeth_smile:) insurance information contact case and solution with my sunglasses for the ride home lip balm foot and hand lotion (my hands and feet get very dry) hairbrush These are all in travel size and things I use daily anyway. I am sure I may add a couple of other things I am not thinking of yet, but those would be what I would use right after surgery if I were going home. My overnight bag would just have: my cellphone (my hospital allows these to be used) showering items a fresh pair of undies my own pjs and robe (I cannot sleep in hospital stuff - just my thing) perhaps my laptop with a few movies or my MP3 player (either one, with headphones would drown out a noisy neighbor and nurses) I just plan to wear the same outfit home that I wear there. I also am going to wear my Crocs which look like a cute pair of slippers and can wear those in the hospital if I have to stay. Sounds like alot but actually comes out to being just a small shoulder bag and my little tote.

So, it really does not block your airway? I am assuming not since you don't hear about a lot of deaths. Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but for potential bandsters, it is a real concern.

Don't know of any in the southern area but Dr. Gilman in Decatur, Dr. Hammer in Springfield both do.

I know I have noticed that if I am not paying attention that I tend to not chew well enough. It really takes effort to concentrate on chewing and I can understand now why some say that they "underchew" while their mind is on something else. I have been trying to make a concerted effort to have whatever is in my mouth into completely ground to almost liquid form before I swallow. It really takes thought, especially when you are hungry to start.

I have been practicing eating smaller bites and chew chew chewing. I have been practicing sipping instead of gulping and practicing eating my Protein first. I have been practicing everything we are supposed to do post-op. Is there anyone else working on this as well? I have found I do feel fuller on less food doing it this way. Must be that brain signal.

I think that SOME people truly don't get the information they need from their doctors. I am still in the pre-banding process and I have received very little information so far. I have found most of my answers on here. Granted, I have not been complaining, but, I know I will have questions later. The thing to remember about forums is that there are always those who go to the extreme. There will be those who, no matter how much information their doctors give them, will do what they want and then wonder why everything is going wrong. The best thing is to just ignore those posts and move on to more positive ones.

Being your time of the month ON TOP of just having surgery is probably playing havok with your hormones. Hang in there and if it gets too rough don't be afraid to call your doc for a bit of help.

Hang in there. 14 days will be worth it in the end. Perhaps your doc feels you need some extra healing time. You want to heal perfectly. You are strong to do as your doc is asking. Many would not and could cause themselves problems because of it.

I was nervous when I went for my consultation too. It is normal and it will be okay. Remember, even though you are going to your consultation, you are still in control of your choices. Just relax while you are in there. Don't be afraid to ask questions. The only dumb question is the unasked question. Don't be afraid to ask questions here as well. The best thing to do is browse around and read all there is to read. You will learn so much from this site. Good luck! :smile2:

I had been torn in my decision at first between the Lap Band and the gastric bypass. My doc made a very good presentation for the bypass and said he was initially against the band. That day I told them I would have the bypass. I went home and thought about it, prayed about it, talked about it and came to the realization that I really did want the band and that I had allowed myself to be swayed the other way. My doc is relatively new to doing the band and stated that he, in the beginning of the band coming to America had been against it. I was also intrigued by the potentially faster weight loss of the bypass. However..... I called them back the next day and told them to switch me to the band because a) the band is reversable, if needed; :behindsofa: the band will allow a bit slower weight loss thus allowing my skin to catch up; and c) this support forum. I found a forum for the bypass but was unsuccessful in finding support there. I have only been on this site a short time but love the interaction amongst fellow and soon-to-be bandsters. I like that no matter how many times some "newbie" asks the same question someone will answer and help out. The support here is motivating in itself. I too am a "borderline" person concerning my BMI. If I lose even a pound or two I will be out of luck. I am very excited about moving forward with getting banded. I, however, cannot make your decision for you, like the others have said. Only you can do that. I just know this is the right decision for me. Research, research, research, then research somemore! Good luck to you!

Congrats! I can't wait until it is my turn!