Babe

hi friends, i'm flying to mexico tomorrow afternoon and should be banded at some point on monday. i'm so excited!!! i'll try to update you guys as soon as i feel up using a computer. thanks you all so much for your support these past few months. i couldn't have made it this far without you!

i'm 2 sleeps away from my surgery and i haven't had a 'last supper' yet, and i doubt i will. i see this as a lifestyle change, and for me that change started several weeks ago when i made the decision and booked the surgery. yeah, i've spent my fair share of time grieving food and being very tempted to binge, but hey it's not like my favourite foods are going anywhere. like previous posters said, the band will allow me to enjoy food just not in the unhealthy quantities i used to have. i'm determined that my band will allow me to eat all foods as many other successful bandsters are able to.

that said, i still have 2 more meals to go till monday, so you never know what can happen :frown:... give me strength :cursing:

i'm driving down to seattle tomorrow after work, and flying out on sunday.

have you checked your blood pressure? it might be low... many hypertensive bandsters end up going off their meds within a few weeks because their BP lowers so much after surgery.

it's almost 3 in the morning and i can't sleep!!! i have a million thoughts running through my head right now. my period is 2 weeks late (no i'm not preggers) so for all i know i'll have it on my surgery... not thrilled about that at all. i'm trying to get organized for this trip and i keep thinking i'm forgetting something. i keep reading old threads about what to pack and what to do post op. i feel like i'm getting a bit OCD right now with the amount of time i'm spending re-checking things.

what the heck have i gotten myself into?!?! must breathe... what happened to my formerly poised and in-control-ish self? evidently, i'm more freaked out about the surgery than i thought.

crazy person signing off,

thanks for listening :biggrin:

Thank You Brooklyn, your words are very inspiring... especially since i will be banded in a matter of days. Your words and your personal growth somehow remind me of myself and how i view things. I can easily imagine myself saying the same things 100lbs from now. Way to go!!!

Never heard of it... is it like dysthimia (a low grade depression)?

thanks ladybug! what you're saying makes a lot of sense... i think i'll hold of on the met for now.

My doc. took me off Metformin about a month ago (although why, i'm not entirely sure cause he really doesn't know much about PCOS - i was dx 3yrs ago by another doc who's retired). Anyways, my period was fairly regular until i stopped the metformin, and now it's 2 weeks late. problem is, i'm being banded a week from today. i scheduled the surgery deliberately so I wouldn't be on my rag that day... usually its really heavy right out of the gate for 4 out of the 5 days. Anyways, my GP thought my late period was sufficient cause for me to start up metformin again. Should i start it up again so soon before the surgery? I'm totally confused and there's not enough time for me to get in with an endocronologist and get second opinion. HELP!

ONE WEEK TO GO!!!

Thought I'd check in and see how you're all doing...

I'm actually pretty pumped, as long as I don't listen to the million voices running around in my head LOL:). I'm glad there's only a week left to this pre-op. In a way, I think it'd be easier to just have liquids (like the post op) instead of the agony of shakes and one LF/LC meal. That meal is simply not satisfying and leaves me craving more. If I knew I couldn't chew anything for days, it would be way easier and I wouldn't be tempted to cheat.

i'm being banded one week from today.

I go from being extremely excited and impatient for this thing to happen, to terrified that I'm going to somehow screw it up and end up being one those few with complications and difficulty losing. What a rollercoaster ride!

It's great to see some familiar names already in post-op recovery. It's reassuring that you guys are all doing well.

Great thread!

For me it was a combo of different things. Firstly, all the health challenges i've got: hypertension, hi cholesterol, PCOS, thyroid, and depression. I could only see my health deteriorating with each passing year. Next, I was fed up of all the limitations around being fat: discrimination, self-isolation, near impossibility meeting men, wanting to have children, and not participating in activities as much as i would like. I turned 30 this past summer and all of these factors just seemed to converge into one big boiling pot of "I need to do something NOW or i'll regret it". I was ready. Ready for a change, ready to commit to overhauling my lifestyle. Ready to be the person I always wanted to be.

I am so glad I'm doing this!

Name___________StartWeight___CurrentWeight___Goal______ToGo

AmethystJade.......231.8..........214.0.......150.......64.0

Babe...............308............297.2.......199.......98.2

Bellaperdente......196............189.........150.......43

Brandy.............198............189.........166.......21

Cappy..............240............239.........130.......109

Chocolate_Snaps....244............224.........175.......49

Clarebear08........192............181.........160.......21

Donna113...........183............178.5.......126.......52.5

Ebonie.............307............307.........200.......107

FalloutGirl........282............278.........165.......112

FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54

FlordiaPete........413............397.........300.......97

GratefulHeart......226............215.........135.......80

health4life........279............239.........150.......89

janesays...........225............218.4.......160.......58.4

kimaly.............194............191.........160.......31 Lindar172..........246............234.........150.......84

Linksmom...........234............234.........145.......89

LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91

Long2BThin.........216............201.........169.......32 lotzasunshine......270............265.5.......180.......85.5

Loveislovely.......216............210.........175.......35

ltgordon...........284.8..........262.8.......185.......77.2

lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65

Mair...............231............225.........140.......85

Mamanmidwife.......264............260.........200.......60

mdgarcia31665......220............220.........165.......55

MissNilsa..........180............180.........132.......48

Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40

Tuger..............192............192.........130.......62

Under200...........242............199.........155.......44

vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 Wendy_Wo...........242............218.........142.......76

WOWOX7.............173............163.........125.......38

Rhea2d . . . . . . . . . . 283. . . . . . . . . .233. . . . . . . 185 . .58

Hi Ruby! Just wanted to wish you good luck tomorrow. I'm getting banded in a week, so I can understand how you're feeling. Just read through this board and you'll find a lot of great tips and support. Also, i know you're in NZ, but check out the Australia threads and maybe you'll find someone else from NZ there.

i'm flying out in a week for my surgery, and i think the nerves are really setting in. i'm not nervous about the surgery itself or even the recovery, i'm more concerned with the lifestyle adjustment. i hope i can do this (it's funny how a week ago i was certain i'd be able to do it, but now i'm freaking out). i think maybe i'm just grieving or something. i know i'll be able to eat most things just in lesser amounts, but a part of me feels like i'm saying goodbye permanently to foods i love. maybe it's just pre-op blues...

thanks for listening

I am very very very much looking forward to not feeling like I am a ghost.

ait, boy do i ever relate. it's an awful feeling isn't it?

hi jamie! stretch marks and loose skin are a concern for me too so i've already started taking care of it pre-band. i use a cocoa butter moisturizer daily all over my body, and after showering i apply Palmer's Cocoa Butter Oil and massage it in before moisturizing. I figure the added moisture will help with the elasticity and after the band help fade and prevent stretch marks. I also use a dry loofah on my body a couple times a week (or when i remember) to increase circulation and help break up celulite. Until a few days ago, i was taking Omega oils and it's been great for my skin (i've stopped pre-op because it's a blood thinner and i don't want to risk anything with my surgery coming up). Lastly, i drink lots and lots of Water.

Personally, i'm not sure if anything i'm doing will actually have much impact, but i'd rather try than do nothing and regret it later.

Hi Everyone,

Well I got the go ahead for Tuesday the 10th and found out some interesting things about myself I didn't know before. Like that I am borderline diabetic and have fatty liver disease. It truly came as a shock to me to find that out since no one has said anything of the sort before yesterday. I asked the nurse a ton of questions, told her my plans for where I am staying the night before and after the surgery because it is a distance for me to travel to the hospital where I am having it at and thought it would be a good idea to stay in town to make sure everything was ok. I am now pumped to be only 4 days away from surgery and looking forward to my new body in the future. Thanks for letting me share.

Ivernous, I'm so excited for you! As much as it sucks to find out about your additional health problems, it must feel great to know that you're on the road to improving them. Please let us know how the surgery goes!

i just made the final payment today... there's no going back! omg, this is real now!!!

Well...this is the last place I expected to get bitched at but I can't do anything about that.....I just wanted to know if other people cheated.....No thanks to JuneAct2. I have taken extreme thought into whether or not to go forward. I have researched more than anyone I know about what it involves, what steps I have to take and that its not a free ticket to being slim. I know I have a problem and that is why I see a therapist. I am going to OA (overeaters anonymous). And because I have major depression its even harder for me!! Look I already hate myself so you don't need to be doin' it for me. I don't want to hear from you anymore on this thread JuneAct2, thank you

Ivernous, as someone who also deal with major depression, i completely understand how hard it is to do this. this pre-op diet has been challenging for me too. i've spent so many years using food to comfort me in my depression, that it's a difficult adjustment to make. i'm also attending OA. I know we can do this!!! hang in there hon!

iwalktheline... my surgery's being done at a private clinic in Tijuana, not a hospital, and i'll be spending the night there too. from what other bandsters have told me, it's a beautiful facility and very professionally run. i'm not worried about that aspect at all. the fee includes 5 star hotel accomodations from me and a companion for 3 nights. It's a great deal, and far more affordable than what i'd pay for here at home.

how's everyone's pre-op going?

I was told nothing bigger than a tylenol. I break them in half though. I miss my fish oil..I can't seem to find the liquid form anywhere..

i'm not sure where you live, but have you tried Whole Foods Market? i know it's a pricy store, but i know they have liquid fish oils. Look at any natural health stores, or else you could order online.

i spoke with the pharmacist today about taking my effexor capsules. he said that as long as i don't crush or chew the granules, it would be ok to open them up and swallow with some Water.< /p>

My mom has told me once again that I need to put on a belt or get smaller jeans. I do wear a belt, but I cannot afford to buy jeans at every size as I lose weight. She does wait a while to mention it though, so maybe it's time to buy a smaller size. :tongue:

blaze, i totally relate to the money issue. it's a concern for me too (after i'm banded). i love clothes, but since i can't afford to indulge all that often I like to check out consignment stores. there are some suprisingly good quality clothes at decent prices. you need to shop around at first, and get to know your city's consignment shops. some are really bad or expensive, and some are just fabulous.

just wanted to wish all you Feb 2 bandster good luck! let us know how it goes.