Elisabethsew

TOM, I am beginning to think you hate America. We seem to do nothing right in your eyes as far as I can tell from your posts. Are there other countries that you believe we should be emulating?

Walking and getting off the Vicodin ASAP are the two best things she can do. Tell her to try holding a pillow against her belly and then trying to bend over a little every few minutes that she walks. Extra-strength tylenol worked for the pain for me on Day 2 so I never went back to the Vicodin. As far as coughing goes, and I'm an RN, she HAS to cough to help clear the lungs of the effects of the anesthesia. NOT coughing could lead to an infection. She can splint her stomach with the pillow and cough. Deep breathing is also encouraged.

I know where you're coming from as I am facing 2 knee replacements. I made it known to my surgeon that I can't control my pain on tylenol. The danger of taking NSAIDs is that they might dissolve in the pouch and not the stomach. I take one Aleve in the AM and one in the PM with a tablespoon of mylanta (coats the stomach) and chase the pill with at least 8 oz of water. It's also advisable not to lie down for an hour after taking it. Some surgeons will also prescribe an acid blocker (prevecid, etc.). Talk to your surgeon and find out what he/she advises. I have had NO problems following my surgeon's advice.

Thank you for posting the pics and congratulations on your weight loss and "new" body. You can see a dramatic difference already and I bet it gets better and better as the edema subsides.

1/2 yogurt for breakfast the other 1/2 for snack lettuce and tomatoes for lunch meat + vege for dinner no Snacks at all and 5 days of aerobic activity a week It's no wonder they lost a lot of weight eating that diet. I would venture to say that's about 600 calories a day at most. If the goal is to lose weight fast, following that diet would do the trick. However, I need to follow a diet that I can live with for life. If that means a slower rate of loss, so be it.

For me, it's not a question of what a person wears. Rather, it's how that person defines his/her life. Burning flags, bombing schools, suicide missions, vowing death to others who don't hold similar views, etc., are all wrong... whether you're naked, wearing a sheet, wearing a suit, etc. I think your question is really one of extremes. Most people live somewhere inbetween.

Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci......................238.............. ....... 236.................228..............8 Lapbandit.......................231............... ......220………….199.............21 Waterlily........................300.............. ........285.................264.............21 Roiansmom....................299.................. ....299.................270.............29 Libra..............................248........... ........ ..241.................228.............13 JulieNYC.......................212............... ... ...202.................185.............17 Elisabethsew.................. 282................ .....274.................264.............10 PeaCeJ...........................338............. .... . ..338.................318.............20 RidinMyHDDream...... ..297.................... .290 ................281...............9 Babygirl1234..................260................. . ...251.................240.............11 Leecelove70....................228................ .....228.................200.............28 Josette.............................351........... ..........351.................335.............16

Is there any chance of you going to NY and making the trip back to Florida with Tina?

Thank you all for the get well sentiments. I came down with the flu (yes, I did get the vaccine) on Wed and am just now starting to be able to hold down water. I lost a ton of fluids from "both ends" so I am going to wait a day or two until I am rehydrated before posting a weight. I did get on it this AM but that value will go up once the dehydration is fixed. For now, all I want to do is sleep.

Hopefully, you're DH will be motivated tomorrow to go back to work. I'm stressing over my next tuition payment and getting back to work. Thankfully, I have sick days so that my paycheck won't be less because I have to stay out of work until next week. I had some shortness of breath and dizziness when I was leaving work Monday morning and spent 12 hours in the ER. Because I had pulmonary emboli (blood clots in the lungs) 13 months ago, I had to have a few tests... thankfully, they were negative.

Vitamin C turns your urine bright yellow. With the exception of vitamins A,D,E, and K (fat soluble), all vitamins are water soluble. This means that whatever your body does not need is excreted in the urine. I'm going to weigh-in tomorrow morning. I had some health issues and just got out of the hospital so today is going to be a rest day. Everyone is doing great and a big welcome to the new people.

I think it's a no win situation. Your sister is having a 4th child and then she'll have your child which will be biologically not yours but 50% hers and 50% your husbands. Her four children will be half sibling to this child and cousins to your present child. What will your sister tell her children? How will they feel when "the new baby" is given to you? At such young ages, hers and yours, there is really no way they can fully comprehend this situation. How will the extended family deal with this. Will you all be open and "tell"? Will you tell eventually? What happens if your sister's bipolar disease flares up and she is forced to go back on medication while pregnant? What happens if she has a manic episode and "tells" before you are ready to be "outed"? There are so many things to consider and it's hard to let your head rule when your heart is breaking to have another child but it seems to have a lot more negatives than positives.

Can you please explain to me the significance, if any, of "thickening of the gastric wall" in relation to the band? I was having some ache-like pain in the L chest region and, because I have a Hx of PEs, a chest CT angio was done. I just now left the ER and was advised to take 2 Nexium a day. Is this cause for concern? Thank you.

Robotics is the wave of the future and we're actually doing open heart surgery this way. Before agreeing to it, ask: 1. How long has the surgeon been doing it? 2. How many cases has he/she done? 3. Is it a longer operation (means more anesthesia time)? 4. Have there been any complications? Good luck on your surgery!

The answer to your question has to come from you. How do you feel about going to surgery for Mexico? Do you have a surgeon in the states who will do your fills? Do you have any medical issues besides obesity? I have a heart condition and had bilateral pulmonary emboli (blood clots in the lungs) so there was no decision for me to make. I HAD to have surgery in the states because it was the best choice for me given my circumstances. Do a lot of research before you opt for one place or another and consider all the options. I was denied twice by my insurance but appealed and won. You might also consider getting your own insurance for a year that does cover the procedure. As you can see, there is A LOT to consider.

I am currently writing my PhD dissertation and my specialization is post-secondary and adult education. The average grade of 65 (failing) is a bit worrisome. Perhaps the teaching methodology could be evaluated or the "dry" material could be better planned? When the "average" is failing, it's often a duel problem between teacher and learner. As to late submissions and extra credit, I'm with Bitter. I give a written and verbal explanation of the course requirements. Unless there is a very valid excuse (MD note of an unplanned surgery/illness), I don't deviate from the course outline. Research shows that when you hold people to high standards, they either rise to the challenge or fail. If you set low standards, excellence is never realized.

Do you also use pets? Laughter and pet therapy have been shown to be VERY effective in the healing process. You look WONDERFUL in your after photos and the world is a better place when people volunteer to help the less fortunate.

Before addressing the issue of her birthday, I would make sure that her mental health is OK. Clinical depression is nothing to be taken lightly and it sounds as if your wife has isolated herself to a few family members. Could it be that her turning 60 is just the "event" that brought to light what has been brewing for awhile?

Welcome Lizrbit. You're doing wonderfully and are well on your way. Lapbandit, I can relate to "unchartered territory" since I was a fat kid, fat adolescent and fat adult. I do remember going to weight watchers when I was 12 or 13 and weighing 218. THAT I will never forget because the WW woman told me my goal was 109 and that I "had to lose half of myself." You'll get to onderland soon. Look at how far you've come already!

Crystal, go and see an MD who specializes in infectious diseases. MRSA usually responds to a 6 week course of IV vancomycin. It's given twice a day and patients can self administer it with a PICC IV line and home care follow-up. I am assuming you had cellulitis of the lower legs. As long as your cultures are negative, surgery won't be a problem so check out the ID MD as soon as you can.

Lee, I think you are making a wise decision in focusing your attention on yourself and your personal goals before getting involved in a relationship. I am taking the same apporach and have learned that being alone does not translate to being lonely. My plan is to get me where I want me to be; a place where I am happy inside and out. Once that occurs, I'll be able to share that me with someone else and be a true partner in a meaningful relationship. Good luck with the surgery.

Hit a road block? You lost 7 pounds already and that's great!

You're definitely doing it right. Look at all the weight you lost! My problem with bread is that I LOVE it. If you give me a choice between hot bread and butter or cake and ice-cream, I'll take the bread hands down. Because of that, I can't eat bread slowly. I have to consciously chew it before swallowing. My surgeon was the one who advises toasting all breads before eating them as it helps to prevent it from getting stuck. I'm going for my next fill on 3/26. The ONLY thing I can't eat is shrimp and bread and the only reason why is because I simply can't chew it enough. So, I try and stay away from those 2 foods. I got 0.2 cc's on the last fill and that did little but my surgeon won't give fills more than 0.3-0.5 cc's after you reach 8 cc's. Sigh! I hope to feel better restriction after the 3/26 fill.

I can only do half an English muffin and I toast it VERY well. I put the PB or cheese on to melt but I don't eat it for a minute or two to allow the muffin to "harden" a bit. Often, I have this for lunch with a cup-a-soup and am filled until dinner time.

Give it 2 weeks to see how this fill does with you at 10 cc's. You might need another fill and the band can be filled with quite a bit more than 10 cc's so you're not at full capacity.