Elayne

Hi Suezip (and all) I had all but given up yesterday - but Jane called me shortly before 5:00 pm Friday and we set a consult appointment for September 4. I already have a psych appt. set up for Sept 11 - so that will cross that milestone off the long list. :cool2: I had a sleep study earlier this year (I DO have apnea but I didn't schedule a 2nd study for the "CRAP" mask because the sleep clinic was NOT a good experience. Room too warm, no windows, men talking in the control room right outside my door. And I think my technician had alcohol on his breath. There were 3 other patients -men and the 2 male techs. I didn't feel threatened - but it certainly didn't help my sleep. I'm a tosser and turner. They said DON't. If I wanted to get up and pee - the guy would have to come in and disconnect me and then re-connect me. I don't often get up in the middle of the night - but this possibility was dancing in my mind with all the other stuff. How do they get a clear picture of a normal sleep cycle with all the "stuff"? It certainly doesn't represent a true sleep event! :wink2: GP is next week - that's something I dread because Dr. Macho was against this type of thing 2 years ago when I asked about it (he almost laughed at me) But now with the Diabetes II getting worse - I won't take no for an answer. (I'm finally working on getting tough about taking care of myself :tt2: What is the Doppler study?? And - where does the endoscopy request come from? Dr. Bono? GP?

Thin2bme I wrote that several days ago but I see that it got buried in the thread pretty quickly. :thumbup: Another fast fix - Hover over the ticker thingy Right click and that should bring you to the update site - ready to enter your new weight. :biggrin: Meanwhile Has anyone "heard" from Orea15???? And someone else had surgery yesterday as well

Long2bthin - and anyone else who has gray or white hair I went from years of coloring my grays (since my 20s actually) and decided to go "natural" especially after seeing the rare photos of myself (like driver's license) with not-so-nice hair color of what I thought was a dark blond/light brown. The white REAALLy aged me - and with pale skin and the weight I looked disgusting. :crying: I found color-depositing shampoo and conditioner tried it and liked it. It's hard to find - online it's pricey if you can find it - but I found a nice version at the Sally Beauty chain stores. It's available in blond, brown and red - I picked the brown and used both the shampoo and conditioner. It looked great - or at least that what several people told me. Even the dog-rescue lady (a total stranger) complimented it. I now use a shampoo for brunettes and added a generous glug to the shampoo and the conditioner and alternate with each shower. Looks subtle and natural - like I'm just starting to go gray. Just a suggestion for those who DON'T feel comfortable with gray or white.

Good for you. It's hard to have hope when you've been denying yourself for years. I find myself smiling and looking forward to wearing pretty clothes again and not having a panic attack if I catch my reflection in a store. I have no doubt that I will move forward with this most important Quest to get myself back. I'm sure you're starting to see some sunshine beyond that closed door as well. I have one stumbling block ahead and then I see nothing but progress. My GP may not be supportive. ("Just stop eating so much and go running at dawn like I do" JERK! :wink2: ) I see him Aug 7 and I'm mentally going thru my "speech" over and over again. Did you have any problem with your general Dr.??

chicalynn, I understand your anguish And I'm certain most (if not all) the people on this forum understand. It's important that you DO find a support person to encourage you along the way. I'm pretty much house-bound by choice - Public "appearances" humiliate me beyond description. I haven't bought any clothing in years and few shoes fit me. The "good" part of this weight load is the diabetes type II which makes it imperative to finally do something. It WILL kill me some day - after destroying an organ or forcing the removal of some toe or foot or leg! My husband of almost 25 years is a fine man and father - however he has distanced himself from me emotionally and physically. The recent decision and determination has brought out a new closeness (not THAT close yet) and friendship. I never thought he could be this communicative and supportive. Surprise! Please limit yourself to those people who will support you - not question you motives or sabotage your efforts and determination. If your brother and your other friend understand and give you the feedback you need - LEAN on them. Go to a seminar on weigh loss surgery ASAP! Get the facts Get the process in motion. Get a consult appointment ASAP! Use this lapbandtalk forum frequently It's full of understanding people who know what it's like to be in turmoil. You'll learn the hard facts - the hopeful facts - and get support every step of the way. (I lost a father too and there is so much other "crap" I've dealt with in my life as well - so feel free to private message me any time)

I'm only at the start of this journey - I'm still collecting the endless paperwork and visits and consults. but - I've never felt so strongly about anything in a very very long time. Even going to college, marrying (twice) and having children (3) filled me with doubts. I've been voluntarily home-bound for about a year or two - absolutely humiliated about my appearance - I haven't bought clothing in a long time and I can't even get a pair of shoes to fit. I'm a great cook - always from scratch - love to make all kinds of bread - Italian background (that will be a very hard gene to ignore!) But I see a window of opportunity here. Children are grown and wonderful No grandchildren on the horizon yet A husband (I call him St. John the Silent) has finally smiled at me and is TALKING about things other than weather and new tires for the car. (He's surprisingly supportive and not a big eater so that's a help - and he wants to start kayaking) I'm trying to set new paradigms about food and habits - One little change at a time. Less quantity and new rules - No eating in front of the TV or PC or in bed or over the sink. Eat at the kitchen or the dining room table with china (probably a saucer) I guess my vision of my future of both physical and emotional health is overwhelming me right now. After the surgery I hope to spend less time in the kitchen and more time in my studio - where I almost never eat. ('cuz I'm sooooo clumsy)

Orea and Diane - Good luck ! I hope that we'll be seeing a lot less of you soon. As far as sippy cups go ("sappy" cups) - Mine all went the way of garage sales. I'm making resolutions to treat myself much better from now on - NO MORE food IN FRONT OF THE TV (or at the PC or in the car or on the bed or over the sink) No ma'am. I'm going to eat at a table with flowers from the yard (if available) A lovely candle. China (probably a saucer) and an awkward champagne flute (I have to retrain myself in the art of sipping.) Finish and STEP AWAY FROM THE TABLE! (I will I will I will I will I will I will I will I will I will I will) Seminar tonight and I'm so full of silliness and hope! :thumbup:

Ninababy - When you are truly "ready" you won't have as many negative thoughts about the process. I was reluctant for years - "But I want my Friday nite pizza!" "I love to go out for dinner with my husband and grown children" "what about hanging out around the dining room table for hours talking and nibbling on holidays!" "I've dieted before and always bounced right back up the scale - how is this going to be any different?" Most of us have an "AHA!" moment. That impetus that puts us firmly and obsessively on that path. It's a ray of hope that gets us on our way. My epiphany was the sudden awareness that I will NEVER run with my grandchildren some day. It hit me like that old "ton of bricks" and an image of me romping and full of vigor stays in my mind. That to me is more important than the palette.

No thank you. That's probably the only organ in this body of mine that functions/ed satisfactorily. Closed up shop here about 2-3 years ago after producing 3 exceptionally healthy and beautiful children. But - Before anyone gets the snip-snip, there are studies on how LBS has eradicated poly-cystic ovarian disease. I want to look into this a bit closer in several years as my daughter has "dreadful" poly-cystic ovaries (and she's a size 2 - so obviously isn't a LBS candidate ). But hopefully more research will be done about how this reversal of cyst formations actually happens. Here's a video of one woman's experience with LBS and pregnancy - http://www.malleysurgical.com/webcast/chapter12.html

Just a quick question - I assume that this surgery is basically a "short stay" procedure. In - prepped - surgery -post - instructions -and then out. Are there situations when an overnight is necessary? And I've read where occasionally they have to resort to an "open" surgery (as opposed to the laparoscope) Anyone experience this? :tt2:

PangeaOne - How exciting. I saw on one site that LPS was done on people "up to 55" Yuk! I guess that was one surgeon's preference. I also have Diabetes type 2 and my numbers are rising. I'm not on meds for that yet - but probably will be shortly. :crying: angelshere - I listed all my meds and dosages for reference for my upcoming consult. I was astounded and disgusted. I've heard so many happy responses from people who dropped many meds after surgery. I hope I'm as lucky! :thumbup:

(OMG - I just wrote a lovely response about therapy and lost the whole &^*&( thing when a spider emerged from my keyboard and I "dealt with him") :crying: Bottom line - because no way am I going to re-type that essay - KEEP (or find) a therapist or whatever counselor you feel comfortable with. If you are feeling some of the euphoria of positive change like I am (I have bipolar disease with some childhood trauma effects thrown in) you'll benefit with a skilled counselor. :wink2: Another suggestion is to keep a journal. It's a good venting exercise, help sort out the emotions and maybe you'll look at it in the future for . . . whatever. :thumbup:

I've kept myself home-bound for several years. I don't even look in the mirror or care about my appearance. I have 3 beautiful grown children - slim, healthy, vibrant, intelligent and everything a parent can hope for.:w00t: I DO go out with them occasionally but rush home if I catch my reflection in a mirror or door. This is NO way to live. The self-imposed isolation and bad health just increases by the week. I saw a commercial where a grandparent was running in a field with his grandchild. Both were smiling and the sun was shining and the flowers were blooming - I really forget what product was being hawked. But that scene of a healthy grandparent RUNNING and playing with the little child hit me like a ton of bricks I realized that I was incapable of RUNNING and would likely NEVER RUN again! I remembered what an active childhood I had - tree climbing, bikes, skates, ballet, gymnastics, swimming, diving - all the good things! I got sad Then I got MAD! I have no idea why Lap Banding got into my mind - but it was THERE and I KNEW it was worth pursuing. :w00t: I immediately hit the Internet and read and read and read and landed here on this forum. and I started to get determined, hopeful and quite frankly - obsessed. I made a call the next morning to my HMO and then to a surgeon that was highly recommended and I'll be sitting at the seminar Monday afternoon. AND - I won't take no for an answer :thumbup: I can't remember when I felt so strongly and so sure about anything in a very very long time.

About 2 months ago I had "bone surgery" in the upper right dental area.:confused: Wisdom teeth were removed in my 20s, but like dominoes - the 2 adjacent teeth had to be removed because of serious bone loss. (I had my hypothyroidism diagnosed at 40 - but since they rarely test thyroid levels until symptoms appear - I may have had it longer) My periodontist built up the area with a synthetic compound to replace the lost bone to prevent further loss. He said stress was the major factor in that type of bone loss - :ohmy: and NOT FLOSSING. And many psycho-therapeutic drugs can cause damage as well. :smile2:

The more I read about LB - the more I'm encouraged. And apparently the doctors and researchers are as well. I was on u tube for more LB research and found a series of videos by a woman named "Theresa". She is a nurse, personable, straight-forward, informational - not at all intimidating. She was "journal" her experience from start to finish - and there were several live videos of the actual surgeries (very graphic - I didn't want to watch the entire piece - kinda like that movie they used to show in childbirth classes where the men groaned and occasionally fainted!) She had trouble conceiving - poly-cystic - (ovarian cysts - clusters of them) - years before her LBS after fertility treatments she had twins. Several months later with so-so weight loss -she discovered she was about 2 months pregnant - and after an ultrasound - the doctors were amazed that there were no signs of cysts whatsoever! Completely healthy ovaries. She had/has a blog and apparently the pregnancy went fine and the baby was fine as well. Here's a link for her first video; youtube.com/watch?v=Iu6uy_COssQ&feature=related :biggrin2:

I have Diabetes II, sleep apnea, Hi BP, and a few more issues but these are the things I want the Lap Band to help me with. (BMI "only" 36) I am getting so psyched for this surgery - I've read about so many good things that happen even BEFORE the weight starts to drop Heck - even within 48 hours post-op health improvements have been noted (medical articles and studies all over the Internet) :smile2: I just hope I don't expect too too much and get disappointed - Just want to be pleasantly surprised along the way to a better life-style. Like - run free without pain with my future grandchildren! :ohmy:

(This is a duplicate of a reply I made on another thread) I'm back and feeling like "BIG" Ms. Smarty-Pants here. :thumbup: I googled my little ol' thyroid gland out and found this gem; Bariatric Surgery: gastric bypass, Vitamin deficiencies, billroth Read it if you like medical-research-tech stuff but here are some heart-warming excerpts; " Interestingly, there is a recently published study that implies that bariatric surgery may improve your hypothyroidism. " "The pathophysiologic relationship between morbid obesity and thyroid hormones is not well understood. The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of obesity and weight reduction after bariatric surgery on thyroid hormone levels. . . "CONCLUSION: The results of our study have demonstrated a statistically significant positive association between serum TSH within the normal range and BMI. No association was found between BMI and free T(4) serum levels. The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in study group was 10.5%. Weight loss after bariatric surgery improved or normalized thyroid hormone levels."

I'm back and feeling like "BIG" Ms. Smarty-Pants here. :thumbup: I googled my little ol' thyroid gland out and found this gem; Bariatric Surgery: gastric bypass, Vitamin deficiencies, billroth Read it if you like medical-research-tech stuff but here are some heart-warming excerpts; " Interestingly, there is a recently published study that implies that bariatric surgery may improve your hypothyroidism. " "The pathophysiologic relationship between morbid obesity and thyroid hormones is not well understood. The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of obesity and weight reduction after bariatric surgery on thyroid hormone levels. . . "CONCLUSION: The results of our study have demonstrated a statistically significant positive association between serum TSH within the normal range and BMI. No association was found between BMI and free T(4) serum levels. The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in study group was 10.5%. Weight loss after bariatric surgery improved or normalized thyroid hormone levels."

What a coincidence. I just posted a similar question on the over-50 forum. :scared2: I too have hypothyroidism (formerly Graves disease) after 17 years, 80 pounds the first year, and no dieting success other than a rebound to a stubborn 210 pounds - I now acquired weight related Diabetes Type 2 with all it's evil relatives and more on the way (including a brand new CATARACT) I want this LPS I need it I demand it Can I still have it? Pretty please?:thumbup:

Maybe this should go into a different thread but there seems to be such wonderful activity here in the 50s - I'll throw this one out to all my new friends; I was diagnosed with Graves Disease back in 1990 (I was 40 at the time) After heart function was determined to be in jeopardy - :scared2: I had the recommended radioactive iodine treatment and within a short few weeks was left with the dastardly hypothyroidism and shortly after that - even more evil - 80 pounds. Now - 1. How does that factor into LapBand eligibility and 2. LapBand success??? :thumbup: (I have a 36 BMI and Diabetes type 2 and an ever-increasing co-morbidity collection) :frown:

Wow - southerngirl24 - You got approved today! congrats!

I'm from Dalton and just started the process with Dr. Bono in Hazelton. The seminar is July 28 in Hazelton. He was highly recommended by several professionals in my ever-widening circle of doctors, therapists, nutritionists, etc.

In impatient anticipation of my own travel down Lap Band Lane - Do any of you experts have suggestions for favorite internet sites for smoothies? :thumbup: I'm a cook-from-scratch-and-fresh-only type and am curious about recipes for both pre and post op diets. I'd love to get some recommendations beforehand and do some experimenting and tweaking. :teeth_smile: (And with the price of food and "poisonous" produce these days - - - -)