maestrita

On another thread, a guy recommended the percussion massager for gas trouble. It works wonderfully. I am so glad I had one! I also got some mileage from the down dog yoga position, and making sure I was utilizing the laxatives. For me, the pain meds slow everything down, and that's when I get into trouble with gas. Having had lap surgery for another issue before, I knew to have the laxatives standing by. I recommend something gentle that you've used before, though. You don't want to make things worse by using a product that is too strong. You are doing very well for weight loss. I don't see what you're worried about there. Before banding, I've never lost weight that fast. It sounds like you are moving around some if you're at a soccer game 5 days out, so that's good, too. Hang in there. It must get better or else all of the folks here wouldn't have done it, right? That's what I tell myself when I feel icky. Hope you feel better soon.

Shingles can be passed on because it is viral, though it might result in pox for some and shingles for others. We've had an outbreak of it at our school with 8 cases this year. Shingles is a herpes zoster virus, and it is very painful. I've not had them, but my assistant did get them this year. I was very concerned bc I've never had the pox, though do have the titer. I am fortunate not to have gotten them. They just have to run their course unfortunately.

TxAmy, I am so sorry you had to deal with the ex-thing, and hearing it hit a nerve I thought had been long dead. I had some similar exchanges when I divorced my first husband, and it hurt like crazy. Later on, I got the satisfaction of him coming and begging me to come back several times during the years that followed. I never said yes, but I did get some satisfaction in that he finally realized he'd missed a good thing. To this day, he still accidentally calls his new wife by my name, and I got so tired of hearing him do that one day, I said "You wish" when he called her by my name. Just think how bad it is going to sting when we are super hot and skinny! I hope in that moment you feel the satisfaction and relief I felt when I told off my ex. It is so validating when someone has treated you poorly because of health/weight issues...

I am so sorry to hear that you've had trouble. Do get some rest and take care of yourself. Let us know how it goes.

How are you feeling today, Ebar? It sounds like it just kind of got hung up a bit, and I was wondering how you feel now. Did everything resolve itself?

Vala, that is a wicked good idea! It would not have occurred to me to use the percussion massager to break up the gas bubbles, but it ought to work like a charm. Thanks for the tip!

OMG, Malissa. I am so sorry. When you are up to it, write a little bit and tell us what had happened and how you're doing. I will pray for you.

I am up and moving around after my trip to Denver to be banded. I felt just fine until the second half of the next day, and then it was only this queezy feeling and achy stomach. Honestly, my throat and back hurt more than my stomach did afterward. How are y'all doing after the ops? I am loving Campbell's Soup at Hand!

Well, I went, and it was fine. I had meant to ask him how my liver was, but I kept forgetting. I woke up with a band, though, so I must've done something right. I hated that diet, though. It felt like I was eating bricks. I did not feel balanced whatsoever, and it was hard to find appropriate foods. I am glad that is over. I still don't know what caused the other couple of lbs to come on again toward the end, but this type of weight loss has been typical for me. I have always been so jealous of people who can just do the math with calories and exercise, and it just comes right off like they planned it that way. That has never been the course for me. In any case, eating bricks seemed to work for the purposes of shrinking the liver. All's well that ends well, right?

Well, I didn't lose anything initially, like nothing for a full week, and then I lost 6 lbs in two days, then another lb, and now I am back up two lbs. My surgery is on Wednesday, and I am going to be sorely disappointed if this is not what he had in mind. It has been horribly hard (not a diet I would choose to continue), and it will be costing me hundreds of dollars to travel there (my ticket plus the ticket for someone to go with me as is necessary, hotel, rental car...). It will be really unfortunate if I have to reschedule because I didn't understand exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I am going pure liquid today. I hope I've gotten it right. I will surely post again to let folks know what happens this week. Wish me luck!:confused:

Hey, do you guys want to start an 11-er group? I think it is so neat to have people who have our same day. It would be awesome to hear your stories, and to see how it goes for each of you. I am going to click around to see what features I can find on the site for a group. I think there is a social group tab, but I haven't looked at it yet. Let me know if you're interested! :cursing:

Are you all March 11 banders? That's my date, too. Aussie Trace is a March 11-er, too. If you're an 11-er, let me know, and I'll add you to my friends list. I would just love to know how it goes for you all, and I am so excited for us! We are going to be skinny and healthy and fun! Woohoo!

Yeah, Aussie Trace, we have the same band-birthday! Malissa and LouandBoosMom have our same band-day, too! It's going to be super! I am so excited for us all. Our lives are going to be great!

I have to go down to 900-1000 calories a day and eat very specific foods in order to lose. I know how to do it, and I would except I am afraid that it will mess up this liver thing. My problem here is that I still don't fully understand whether the goal is weight loss or just this liver thing. After I posted my original reply, I realized it sounded too defensive. I decided that I really need to stop defending my decisions and removed that part of the message.

Yeah, LouandBoosMom! We all share a band-birthday! I will add you to my prayer on our day. We are going to be so happy and skinny! Whoo-hooo!

I am being banded by Dr. Kirschenbaum in Denver, CO. My cost is under 10.000. and his aftercare charges are more than reasonable. I will likely have to pay for my aftercare here in town because of the airfare to Denver. However, it still beats the heck out of having it done locally, even if the aftercare were included in the initial charges. It is over 17.000. here, and I would have to get more than 35 fills in order to spend 17.000. Even though it is so expensive here, the aftercare only lasts for two years. I have not yet heard of anyone having 35 fills in that amount of time....or ever, really...

The thing that kills me is that I know how to lose weight, but that's not what they told me to do. I am paranoid that I might get this liver thing wrong, and though I think my liver is probably just fine, I want to do everything I can to maximize my healing time and avoid complications. I think I am going to go down to 1000 calories a day and max my protein. I am starting at 215, so I likely wouldn't drop crazy weight really fast anyhow, but I feel like I need to drop some because that is what people are saying happens. The lady at the clinic kind of said that, too. She said I should lose 3-5 lbs. Though neither the nutritionist or doctor did. They both said that I need to avoid the carbs because they store in the liver as glycogen, and this causes the enlargement of the liver.

Me, too. I can't wait! I will say a little prayer for you on our big day! I will pray for both of us to have better, healthier lives. Do keep us posted! Yeah!

OK, I go for surgery next Tuesday. I was told to go on a one week low carb diet. I understood that I could eat just about anything except complex carbs such as bread, Pasta, etc. I have also read a lot of people saying that they have lost weight on the pre-op diet. Well, I know I am not good at this, so I've kind of given it a trial run. I started the low-carb diet a week early. It's been a week, and I've not lost anything. Zippo. I don't know if I'm doing it wrong, and I am terribly concerned. I tried to email the lady in the clinic, and she just kind of said the same darn thing she said before. I mean, she literally cut and pasted what she'd emailed before and highlighted it... which seemed kind of like when people yell at folks who are learning a new language. OK, I still don't understand because you didn't give me any new information... I don't really know what to do. I am nervous because I am paying so much to fly in and have this done, and I am not yet losing any weight. I don't really know what to expect because the low-carb thing really didn't work for me without the fruit, and it especially doesn't work with fruit in place. What should I do? Should I just switch over to full liquids? I worry that if I don't lose the 3-5 lbs in a week, I won't get the procedure, and to be honest, I don't know that I can lose 3-5 lbs in a week without a meat cleaver. What would you do?

Oh, Malissa! Our surgery date is the same date!!!! You are the first person who I've run into with the same date. I will be in Denver. Where will you be?

:thumbup: Having my son call me Mama-the-Hut in front of his friends... He thought he was being funny, and later apologized, but it's one I'll never forget.

I use the ResMed Liberty, and it works the best for me. I have tried 5 different masks, and this one fits me much better than the full face masks. I have found a lot of support on the forums for sleep apnea, too. Apnea is not a disease to mess around with, though. Prolonged untreated apnea can result in your body developing some pretty serious illnesses. Among those are hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and hypersomnia, that persists even when the apnea is treated. I experience around 600 awakenings a night when I don't sleep with the machine, and it has really taken a toll on my health since I didn't know this was my problem for so many years. It can have a significant impact on cortisol levels and adrenals. Even after you lose weight, you will need another sleep study to determine whether or not it is safe to sleep without the machine. About using sleep promoting agents and apnea, use the machine if you take something. Though rare, it can be a lethal combo,...stop breathing but don't wake up.... but I'm sure I don't need to tell folks that.

Yep. I sure do.

I am not going to tell many people. I teach, too, and my department knows about my struggles with hypersomnia (apnea-related) and arthritis. I've told them that I'm going in for a procedure, but I am not ready to talk about it. They begged me to tell, and I said I didn't want to share it because people have their opinions. I've been warned that people would be negative toward me, they would criticize me, or they would watch everything I eat. I don't want my life to be about food, so I am choosing not to tell. To be honest, I'm not that concerned about the judgmental part. I don't really care, but I don't want the distraction. I am really at a point where I am moving forward in my career, and I want to focus on that. I want to talk about my field of study, methodologies, and best practices. I want to talk about changing lives through great instruction and advocacy. I want to spend my extra time consulting and mentoring new teachers. I don't want to be distracted talking about what I am eating/not eating for lunch. If folks catch on and have the nerve to ask, I'll tell them I'm just feeling so much better these days, and it's easier to take control of my life. I have a feeling that this won't be far from the truth.

My Doc explained that complex carbs are converted to Glycogen and stored in the liver. He said that the high protein and low-carb approach helps to rid the body of this and shrink the liver. They must be able to get around the liver and under the diaphram to place the band, and if the liver is enlarged, it doesn't work. He explained that he's had to close the person back up without banding when they've not followed the plan. I've watched the procedure on YouTube, so I understand what he was talking about. He also told me I only get one last supper, not several. It's as if he read my mind...! My nutritionist later explained that you can get into trouble on the low carb diet, though, too. She said I can't just eat meat all day every day (not that I would, yuck), and if I haven't lost a pound within three days of the diet, I am doing something wrong. Good to know. I am going to pre-plan my meals and do an extra week of low-carb because I don't want to take any chances. I don't want to fly out there and wake up without a band. I would just die. I would die, especially if it is because I've done something wrong.