Elisabethsew

Welcome. I would advise calling your insurance company and asking them to send you the requirements they require for approval of weight loss surgery. My insurance carrier required 6 months of a medically supervised diet but yours might differ.

Welcome. Remember to take it slow and litsten to your body. Healing takes 6 weeks and it's important to take in enough protein to facilitate this process. Medications that are not enteric coated or time released can be crushed. I take several medications (and am a registered nurse) and find taking my medications with a hot cup of coffee flushes them out of the pouch and prevents that gold ball feeling.

Welcome! You'll learn a lot reading through the posts. Getting through the medical red tape can be a hassle but it sounds like things are finally going your way. Good luck with the upcoming appointments.

For me, the Lapband has acted as a "device" that simply doesn't let me eat the way I used to. I still have a significant amount of weight to lose but don't regret getting the band. The last few months my weight remained stable and I was having trouble with a low heart rate and dropping blood pressure. As it turns out, my thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was high meaning I was hypothryroid. I started on synthroid and finally have the TSH level in the normal range and am starting to lose again. The lapband will only work if you work with it to lose weight. It's not a magic cure and foods like candy, cake, chips, icecream, etc. slide right on down. Do a lot of research, attend meetings and ask banded members questions, talk to MDs who perform the procedure, and make the decision that's best for you.

Breaking out of the 300's is a wonderful milestone and it does wonders for your motivation. My highest was 440 and I got down to about 195. My Dad was ill and I ended up living in the ICU for a solid month until he died. During that time my focus was him and not me or food so the weight piled back on. When I hit 350 pounds again, I looked into this surgery. I truly believe that successful weight loss is in your head. Something "clicks" and the losses motivate the desire for continued losses. If you can get into this "mode" it really does become a habit. I finally feel like I'm back in a good place and think I will easily make my goal by the end of the month. I like to do achievable goals (no more than 2 pounds per month) so I can experience success. Anything extra is a real bonus. Keep doing what you're doing because it's working! Congratulations on kissing the 300's bye-bye!

CONGRATULATIONS FAITH!!! YOU MADE IT! :whoo::clap2: I am back in control of what I eat and have been working hard to stay in a healthy eating pattern. It feels great to say no to bad foods and deal with temptations. I'm down another 2 pounds! September Challenge Name...................... Starting....Loss....Current.....Goal......To Go losingjusme.(Christine).. 273..........-4...........269.........252........17 faithmd...................... 302.........-4.6.........297.4.......290.......7.4 ridinmyhddream (Carol)...262..........+1..........263. .......250........13 insubordination..............300........-2.2.........297.8.......292........5.8 Kimmie.........................314........-18. ........296..........290........14 Tinkerbell77..................317..........2.6.... ....314.4.......299.......14.4 Rainer (Lorraine)............298.........-8...........290..........275.......15 Chiefsfankatie...............305..........-8..........297..........290.......7 jbtullis ........................300..........-2..........298..........285........13 Elisabethsew.................278...........6..........272..........269........3

Insubordination, I agree about the tyroid. I am an RN and have had a struggle with weight my entire life. Consequently, I've had my thyroid function tests done many times and they always came back normal. In fact, insurance demands that you have these tests done before they will OK the lapband surgery. I stopped losing weight, felt tired all the time (working 12.5 hour night shifts doesn't help), noticed my pulse was very low, and felt faint. My cardiologist was the one who tied the low heart rate to an underactive thyroid and ordered the test. Hopefully, this dose of synthroid will bring my numbers back to a normal range. Have a great vacation.

September Challenge Name...................... Starting......Loss.....Current......Goal......To Go losingjusme.(Christine).. 273..........-4...........269.........252........17 faithmd...................... 302.........-1.7.........300.3.......290.......10.3 ridinmyhddream (Carol)...262..........+1..........263. .......250........13 insubordination..............300........-2.2.........297.8.......292........5.8 Kimmie.........................314........-12. ........302..........290........12 Tinkerbell77..................317..........2.6.... . ...314.4.......299.......14.4 Rainer (Lorraine)............298.........-8...........290..........275.......15 Chiefsfankatie...............305...........0...... .....305..........290.......15 jbtullis ........................300..........-2..........298..........285........13 Elisabethsew.................278..........4....... ....274..........269........5 I'm down 4 pounds... finally get to where I need to be in my head to be successful.

I haven't been around for awhile. I began experiencing periods of lightheadedness, etc. As it turns out, my heart rate was very low. The cause was determined to be hypothroidism! Go figure, I have had my thyroid checked MANY times and it's always been normal. I started on synthroid at the lowest dose (25 mcg) but it didn't budge my too high TSH level so a week ago I was increased to 50 mcg. Welcome to all the new people and congratulations to all the great losers. I'm going to join the Sept. challenge late and hope to be back on a losing tract. They won't test my thyroid again for another 3-4 weeks but my heart rate is better and I am feeling more like myself. While I didn't lose a lot of weight through this ordeal, I did manage to maintain. September Challenge Name...................... Starting......Loss.....Current......Goal......To Go losingjusme.(Christine).. 273..........-4...........269.........252........17 faithmd...................... 302.........-1.7.........300.3.......290.......10.3 ridinmyhddream (Carol)...262..........+4..........266. .......250........16 insubordination..............300........-2.2.........297.8.......292........5.8 Kimmie.........................314........-12. ........302..........290........12 Tinkerbell77..................317...........0..........317..........299........18 Rainer (Lorraine)............298.........-8...........290..........275.......15 Chiefsfankatie...............305...........0...........305..........290.......15 jbtullis ........................300..........-2..........298..........285........13 Elisabethsew.................278..........0...........278..........269........9

Congratulations, Tann! Your prize is going to be kissing the 200's goodbye VERY soon. You're so very close but I hope once you hit 199 you don't leave this thread.

Welcome back, Lapbandit! Add your name and STATS to the July challenge. ANY loss posted by the end of the month will prove to you that you're on your way back. A gain of 22 pounds is nothing compared to what you've lost so celebrate your success and put the gain in past history where it belongs.

Name...............................Starting…....Current…......Goal…..........To Go losingjusme..(Christine).........293.............. 293... ..........276.................17 tann.............(Tammy)........ ...224............. 216..............212..................04 Josette.................................322....... .......322..............307.................15 RidinMyHDDream.(Carol).. .....267..............267..............256........ .........11 FaithMD............................... 312..............306.6............299........... ....7.6 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth).. ....275....... .......275 .............265..................10 Libra..(Angela)...................... 218...........;...216..............208............ . ....8 glindab..................................286...... ........285..............275.................10 Inner_me.....(Chris).............. ..295...............295.............280........... .......15 I gained the 2 pounds you lost, Tann, plus 2. I lost 2 of the 4 and HAVE to lose the rest this week.

Waterlily, it's good to hear from you. Move the candy as far as way as you possibly can and keep a bottle of water on your desk. Bring some raw veggies or fruit in a ziplock bag and munch on that. It's nice to see new people. Welcome.

JULY, 2007 CHALLENGE Name...............................Starting…....Current…......Goal…..........To Go losingjusme..(Christine).........293.............. 294... ..........276.................17 tann.............(Tammy)...........224............ . 221............212....................09 Josette.................................322....... .......322..............307.................15 RidinMyHDDream.(Carol).. .....267..............267..............256........ .........11 FaithMD............................... 312..............310..............299............. ....11 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth).. ....275....... .......273 .............265..................8 Libra..(Angela)...................... 218...........;...216..............208............ . ....8 glindab..................................286...... ........286..............275.................11 Inner_me.....(Chris).............. ..295...............295.............280........... .......15 Welcome back, Chris. I hope you had a nice vacation. Cherrybomb, ongratulations on being banded and you can join the July challenge. Just cut and paste and enter your values to the chart.

Good luck with the move! I'm sure you'll burn those calories with all the lifting, etc., involved in the move. Where are the missing members of our challenge? I hope everyone is OK and just on vacation.

It's great to know things are going well for you and that you're free from that horrible arthritis pain. I'm in need of bilateral knee replacements but an holding out until I lose as much weight as I can.

You've got NOTHING to cry about, Tann. You're a star!

JULY, 2007 CHALLENGE Name...............................Starting…....Current…......Goal…..........To Go losingjusme..(Christine).........293.............. 293... ..........276.................17 tann.............(Tammy)...........224............ . 224..............212.................12 Josette.................................322....... .......322..............307.................15 RidinMyHDDream.(Carol).. .....267..............267..............256........ .........11 FaithMD............................... 312..............310..............299............. ....11 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth).. ....275....... .......273 .............265..................8 Libra..(Angela)...................... 218...........;...216..............208............. ....8 glindab..................................286...... ........286..............275.................11 juliegeraci..............................232...... ....... 226 Inner_me.....(Chris).............. ..295...............295 Waterlily1072...(Nicole).......... 272..... .......;.272 Lapbandit……...............….... .206……….....206 I'm slowly moving in the right direction and am trying to get in more fruits to progress to a healthier diet. The 100 calorie snacks are not satisfying and offer no real nutritional value. Stay cool in this heat!

JULY, 2007 CHALLENGE Name...............................Starting…....Current…......Goal…..........To Go losingjusme..(Christine).........293..............293... ..........276.................17 tann.............(Tammy)...........224............. 224..............212.................12 Josette.................................322..............322..............307.................15 RidinMyHDDream.(Carol).. .....267..............267..............256.................11 FaithMD............................... 312..............312..............299.................13 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth).. .....275....... ......275 .............265.................10 juliegeraci..............................232............. 226 Inner_me.....(Chris).............. ..295..............295 Waterlily1072...(Nicole).......... 272..... ........272 Libra..(Angela)....................... 218..............218 Lapbandit……...............….... .206……….....206 Happy 4th to everyone and best of luck on the July challenge. Here's the updated chart. Happy losing!

OK, here's the July Challenge. I put in everyone's last reported current weight. Add in your goal weight and how many pounds to go. Remember, it's only a 31 day challenge. Good luck to us all! JULY, 2007 CHALLENGE Name.............................Starting….Current…...Goal….....To Go losingjusme..(Christine)......291...........291 tann.............(Tammy)........226.......... 226 juliegeraci..........................232.......... 232 Josette..............................322.......... 322 Inner_me.....(Chris).......... ..295...........295 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth).. .274....... ...274 .............265.............9 Waterlily1072...(Nicole)...... 272..... .....272 Libra..(Angela)................... 218...........218 Lapbandit……...............… .206………..206 RidinMyHDDream.(Carol).. ..270...........270 FaithMD............................ 327...........327

You need to see your MD and have the fill decreased. Until you get an appointment, try not eating or drinking anything for at least 3 hours before you go to bed. Make lunch the biggest meal of the day and go lighter for dinner. You can damage your esophagus if you don't get this treated.

Congratulations on your weight loss and I'm sorry to hear that you've got a slip. Have you discussed replacing the band with your surgeon? Staying on a liquid diet for 30 days and "hoping" the slip does not progress would not be my idea of an ideal solution.

You need to call your MD ASAP and be checked out. Infection is what comes to mind with a temp that high (I'm an RN) and having the type of diarrhea you describe could quickly lead to dehydration. You need to have some blood work done to determine the cause of your symptoms.

I need two total knee replacements and prior to losing the weight, I was barely able to walk I had so much pain. My last cortisone injections were back in the first week of January and I'm only taking one Aleve in the AM and one in the PM for pain control. Currently, the pain is manageable but not gone. I will have to have the knee replacements but my plan is to keep losing as much as I can so that the recovery is a lot faster and easier. My surgeon told me that for each pound lost, there is a 3 pound reduction on weight bearing joints.

COngratulations to all the "losers" and it's great to read how well everyone is doing. I was out of town for a business seminar so I'm playing catch-up with the posts. I believe 7/4 is our final weigh-in but have we decided on when the new challenge will begin? Because my philosophy is "a new way of life forever" I would vote for no "time off" between challenges. What does everyone else think?