Elisabethsew

I'm 2 pounds away from kissing the 300's bye-bye and hope to join you all by the end of next week in twoterville. You're all doing wonderfully.

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Congratulations on a FANTASTIC achievement. What are you going to do to celebrate?

When my weight loss stalls I eliminate the snacks and softer foods. It takes me longer to eat a piece of fresh fruit or a salad with chicken or tuna in it than to have soup or cheese. It also keeps me fuller longer. Way to go Eathansgrandma... both you and your hubby! How's everyone doing? I'm 2 pounds away from getting out of the 300's and hope to kiss them good-bye sometime next week.

Hi Roadrunner, The most frustrating thing for me concerning the band was the time it took to get restriction. My surgeon does not give a first fill for a full 8 weeks and that fill resulted in no restriction. If you can be patient during the fill process while they find your proper level of restriction, I think you'll find the band quite helpful. I was in the hospital overnight and had an uncomplicated recovery. Feel free to ask lots of questions. I found a wealth of information here.

In addition to being a full-time RN, I'm also a full-time PhD student (shoot me now). LOL. I mentor 8 graduate students a semester and I really am shocked when I read the poor quality of the formal writing they submit in the forms of research papers. It makes me wonder how they got into graduate school. Worse, it seems to devalue higher education. OK, time to get off the soap box now. LOL.

This is really a question best answered by your MDs. Radiation and chemo are the hallmarks of treatment for breast CA so research thoroughly before you opt out of chemo treatments. There are many new anti-emetic drugs that you can take. One of the newer ones is Zofran sub-lingual, 4 mg. You put the pill under your tongue and it dissolves and the taste is not bad at all. I'll keep you in my prayers for a total and swift recovery from the CA.

I have bad knee arthritis and need a total knee replacement. This might sound strange but I measure my walking progress via telephone poles. LOL. They are spaced apart evenly so I try to add one more pole each week. Another trick is to drive your car exactly 1/4 or 1/2 a mile so that you know how far to walk. Since you have to come back home, 1/4 mile becomes 1/2 and 1/2 becomes a whole mile. Sometimes I listen to music or a book on tape when I walk but more often I enjoy the quiet.

I'm in Long Island and was banded at Syosset Hosp. by Dr. Geiss. My friend was banded by Dr. Ren 13 months ago and has lost well over 125 pounds and reached his goal weight of 180 pounds. Congratulations on getting the band and I hope your recovery is smooth.

While I have not experienced what you described, Alexandra, I do believe there is a strong mind/body connection. I also have found that stress can be a causative factor. I have a heart condition that results in life-threatening arrhythmias. Several times I have had to call an ambulance. It seems once I am in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, the arrhythmia subsides to a degree that I am still uncomfortable but not fearing I will die. Interesting perspective. Thank you for sharing.

It's sad that so many of those workers are living under a cloud of uncertainly wondering if they'll have a job a month from now. While the booklet was insensitive, it makes a good point... try and save where you can because you never know when life as you know it will change. As a single person, I force myself to live within my means as much as possible and have a forced saving plan (403b) in case of emergencies and for retirement. I read a few months ago that for the average American, the difference between being homeless and having a home is 2-4 paychecks. Scary!

I think your doctor is a bit nutty. If you're not exercising at all, start with 30 minutes a day 2-3 times a week. This can include walks or bike rides with your daughter. After dinner is another good time to sneak in some exercise time. Finally, don't discount all you do that adds up to exercise such as gardening, cleaning the house, etc.

Congratulations on getting noticed. It's a great motivator when people start commenting. My highest weight was 440 and when I was down about 95 pounds, one person approached me and asked if I lost weight. This time, I started at 351 and am down to 302. So far, nobody has said anything and I only told 2 people. I figure at about 80 pounds down people will notice.

I just KNEW you were not going to let THAT go by without a response. LOL.

Well, I certainly don't qualify for this but many may. It's important to realize that "plus size" is considered a size 14-18 in the fashion industry.

After reading these spider stories I am glad I'm not in a Southern State. LOL. I HATE spiders.

The HIDA scan will give you your answers. If the pain is worse when you inject fatty foods, it's a pretty good bet it's your GB. Mine "died" after I lost a lot of weight 4 years ago and is now history. I hope you're feeling better soon.

Starbucks is too strong and too pricey for me. Believe it or not, you can get a great iced coffee at McDonalds for soooooooo much less money. Dunkin' Donuts coffee and 7-11 also rank high on my list of tasty coffees.

It would seem to me that your first surgeon would do the rebanding for a slipped band. Like the others, I think you need to provide more details.

Classes for obese people would be great and so would low-impact classes designed for people with arthritis. I would also like them to lose some of the mirrors. Satan told me to look in the mirror so I could see what muscles to concentrate on. How do you see muscle when it's covered with fat? Did he honestly think a 6 pack was going to develop anytime this century? About all I saw when I looked in the mirror was how red my face was, sweat, and a bad hair day when it looked fine before the torture began.

Hang in there, Jen. It took 3 fills before I felt any restriction as well. Once you're at the right level of restriction, the weight loss will pick-up.

Just out of curiousity, if you were doing well with the 1.5 cc's, why did you go for another fill? Did your surgeon pre-schedule you? Good luck with the unfill. I have to go on a day of fluids followed by a day of soft foods after a fill but every surgeon has their own protocol.

Fills are essentially painless. You go in and lie down. The MD feels for the port, cleans and numbs the area with some lidocaine (tiny needle) and then inserts a needle and instills a liquid solution. The whole procedure is quick and you'll leave with a bandaid. After the fill, you'll have some dietary restrictions. Mine was liquids for 24 hours and then a soft diet for 24 hours and then back to solids. Good luck!

Welcome and do a lot of research and ask tons of questions before deciding what weight loss surgery to have and where to have it performed.

Thank you for the update. I hope your Sept 3 surgery goes well and I would be interested in hearing what post-op instructions you get after this surgery and how they differ from the first one.

Welcome and congratulations on your decision to be banded.