Elisabethsew

Welcome, Stacey. Do searches for any questions you might have as there's tons of information here for you.

This man was in Thailand. I believe punishment there is less "humane" than here in the States. I keep wondering if this suspect if trying to ride some sick wave of popularity by confessing to the crime. He's already been charged with other sex crimes so why not "go out" with a lot of press coverage? For now, I'm reserving opinion as to whether he's a nut or a sexual molester and murderer until more evidence is revealed.

I can so relate to the toilet. I had to go to work the "day after" and was trying my best to walk without using or bending my thighs. One of the staff RNs asked me if my knee was hurting. I told him no, this was the effect of a personal trainer. He immediately came over to me with water and Motrin. LOL.

Ahhhhhhhhh... to be 22 again and know what I know now. LOL. First of all, you're brilliant for doing something about your weight while you're young and don't have any complications like arthritis. Don't let your cousin push you too fast. I'm sure you'll do great but... keep the Motrin on hand just in case. LOL.

Propranolol (Inderal) is a beta-blocker that is used to treat hypertension and fast heart rates. In people with congestive heart failure, beta-blockers slow down the heart rate (pulse) and improve the functioning of the heart (increased cardiac output). Beta-blockers are also used to treat migraine headaches in many people. If you're blood pressure is fine, I suspect you're on the drug for treatment of the migraines. As for preventing heart problems related to weight, that's a combination of heridity and dietary factors. Some people are at goal weight, eat healthy and have sky-high bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and triglycerides. Others, are morbidly obese and have no heart issues. You can't change genetics but you can eat a low-fat, high-fiber, balanced diet. I hope that helps to answer your question.

I think your son is looking down with a big smile on his face knowing that you've taken a positive step on the road to a healthier you. Welcome!

Welcome and congratulations on being banded.

I don't have MS but one of my best friends does. It's awful that you had to suffer through a lumbar puncture but MS is often difficult to diagnose. Steroids are the treatment but you won't have to stay on them forever. MS is characterized by periods of remission that can last for years at a time. I applaud your ability to keep the weight off while you're on the steroids and I hope you're well soon.

According to the news here, Patsy and John were the ones who tipped off the police to investigate this former teacher and that one month before she died, Patsy knew they were focusing on him as the killer. It's such a tragedy but thankfully, the saga is coming to an end.

Welcome Slimmer me. Judy, I'm on Long Island also.

It's good to know I am not the only who lived to tell about their gym experience. Satan was about 6' 4" and maybe 24 years old. Every muscle in his body was well defined and he often told me that he needed to take in over 3000 calories a day JUST to maintain his weight because his body fat percentage was so low. When I went back for the second appointment with him, I explained that I was old, fat, and had no delusions that I was going to leave the gym looking like Barbie in my lifetime. My goal was to INTRODUCE exercise into my life and tone any muscles that might be hiding under the fat. When Satan set those machines on a level that was too difficult, I simply laid or sat there and refused to move. He might have been physically fit but I knew he would not be able to physically pick me up and make me move. He might have been the gym expert but I was nearly double his age and had a lot more tricks up my sleeve. LOL

It's surprising that three of us have all gone through EPS. The ablation was painful but it sure beats having to deal with the arrhythmias. I hear you on the AICD. I am hoping to avoid that for a long time.

I have a friend who decided to "splurge" on herself by joining a gym that involved working out with a person trainer three times a week. So, can anyone remember their first trip to the gym and what it was like? I entered a gym for the first time in my life when I was 41 years old. I weighed about 220 pounds and decided I had lost enough weight (200 pounds at that time) to safely begin a formal exercise program. So, into the gym I went and got talked into a 3 day a week program with a personal trainer. I looked around and saw most of the women were a size 5 and most of the men had about 3% body fat. Hmmmm.... I was given a form to fill out that contained questions such as, "What gyms have you belonged to?" I asked why there was no check-off for "none" and was met with a wide-eyed look of surprise and the response, "YOU'RE a gym VIRGIN?" At this point, I am getting the impression that I might have bargained for more than I intended. Next came the orientation. My trainer, Satan, had me mount a machine called an elliptical work-out. He set it for ten minutes. At two minutes I was ready for oxygen and at three minutes I told him to get ready to do CPR. As a crawled off the ellipital device, Satan was calling for me to "hurry up" so my "heart rate stayed up." I gasped that I was an RN and that if my heart rate rose anymore I would end up in the morgue. The half hour of torture moved onto more machines designed to induce pain. I was very happy when I got to sit on one machine where I was instructed to place my legs straight out on a cushioned cradle. This joy quickly faded when Satan turned some lever and I found my legs spread further apart than when I have a GYN exam. Instinctively, I told Satan to put my legs back together. He informed me I needed to use my leg muscles to FORCE my legs to come together. Hello!!! I don't have muscles, I have fat! I informed Satan that I had never done a split in my life and NOW was not the time to begin. This pattern of abuse continued as he ran, and I staggered, to one machine after another and then another. When I got home, I showered and collapsed in a chair. I went to bed early that evening but when I woke up the following morning, I was sure I had some horrible disease because it hurt to move the covers off my body and standing was torture. Every part of my body ached! I contemplated calling an ambulance but realized it was too late to call into work. I tried to fall onto the toilet so I would not have to bend my legs and would have welcomed a continuous IV infusion of morphine. As I began to dread my next session with Satan, I wondered why I was deprived the experience of an endorphin release. I surmised this was nothing more than some lie made up by a thin person to get fat people to sign up for 3 days a week of torture with a personal trainer. Now five years older and 90 pounds heavier, I am wiser. At present, a walking program is all I can handle with severe knee arthritis. I still develop nausea when I pass a gym! What was your experience like?

I feel your pain. I am a registered nurse and make rounds to 19 different areas in the hospital. That's 19 places where visitors have "thanked" the health care team with cakes, donuts, cookie platters, bagels and creme cheese, cupcakes, etc. Unlike you, I have not told anyone at work that I was banded so I try my best to stay away from the crap food. I bring a "survival kit" to work with me consisting of 100 calorie snacks, low carb cup-a-soups, fresh fruit and a cup of dry cereal in a sandwich bag. Since I never know what I'm going to crave, having a selection on hand keeps me from binging on the junk foods.

No tatoo for me but that's just a personal preference. Do what makes you happy at goal... you will have certainly earned it.

With a 15 second pause during an EPS study, I am surprised that they did not opt to at least put in a pacemaker. I had EPS and was ablated for a re-entry fast rhythm. Eventually I will need an AICD but thankfully, so far, so good. What's interesting is that in my case, I only began to have heart problems AFTER I lost 230 pounds. I put back 130 of that but did keep 100 pounds off for 4 years. Now I hope the band helps me get back down to a healthy weight. I'm glad that your weight loss has helped the heart flare-ups and I certainly hope you've see the last of them.

What you both seem to be experiencing sounds a lot like esophageal spasm. It's associated with horrible pain and an inability to swallow without pain. A GI specialist should be able to give you more answers and maybe even prescribe an anti-spasmotic drug.

Have you ever had electrophysiologic studies (EPS) done? It sounds like you have a conduction problem that might require an automatic internal cardiac defibrillator (AICD) in addition to a pacemaker. Thank God you're OK now.

I think everyone has had a productive burp or a wet burp at least once in their lifetime but as it relates to being banded, that's something totally different. I don't think people who write about having the experience of a PB are proud that they have accomplished it all. Rather, it's more of an understanding of the consequences of either not chewing enough or eating beyond the pouch's food capacity. I think your response was a little "strong" given that fact that one of the most often questions asked on this forum concerns the topic of complications when the band is too tight or when one pushes the band beyond it's limits.

Melody, your weight loss is amazing. Congratulations!

Congratulations, Julie! I have only lost 47 pounds so far but you're right, those pounds lost have made a big difference in how much easier it is for me to get around. Thank you for sharing a very inspiring personal take on the band. I needed that.

Congratulations on the job and happy birthday. Roy Rogers is basically ALL fried food so I would advise NOT eating it at all. Bring your own food and that should keep you and the band happy. Good luck on the job!

I'm an RN and we actually do use "coughing" as a therapeutic treatment. However, the patients we use it on are attached to a continuous cardiac monitor. If we see something called ventricular tachycardia on the monitor AND the patient is still alert and oriented, we tell the patient to cough forcefully or bear down as if you're having a bowel movement. This VAGAL stimulation can sometimes "break" the life-threatening arrhythmia. If you're feeling faint, crossing your ankles and pressing them together hard, pressing your knees against each other hard, or lowering you head to the level of your lap all signal baroreceptors in you body to raise your blood pressure. It sad and dangerous that effective medical therapies get misinterpreted and turned around to the point of actually causing harm. Thank you for alerting us to this.

I have a bizarre heart condition and was placed in a Johns Hopkins study group. The helpful compound in red wine is called Resveratrol and it's now available over the counter. They put me on this 2 years ago and my last heart MRI shows no further progression of the disease. Now, I am not one to abandon traditional medicine (I'm an RN) but I am willing to try proven alternatives. If you can't tolerate red wine, you might want to give Resveratrol a try. One word of caution, it's not recommended if you take a statin drug (lipitor, crestor, etc.)

Because of aftercare issues, I decided not to go to Mexico and had my surgery in the States. I was originally denied by insurance but fought the decision and won. All my post-op care was covered free for 90 days and fills cost me just the insurance co-pay. Do your homework before you make a decision. Check with your insurance to see if they will cover the surgery and check out what MDs in your area charge for self-pay patients.