TXAmy07

OK I'll play...

All About Me :smile:

Where do you live? Dallas, TX

How old are you? 31

Are you married, dating, significant other, partnered? Live-in boyfriend of 4 years

Any children? 8 year old from a previous marriage

Grandchildren? Nope!

Pets? 2 dogs, 1 cat and 2 birds. Plus the boyfriend and kid. Hehe.

Current Health Morbidities? None.

What are your greatest Fears? With the surgery, I guess failing. Going in and him saying "oh sorry, your liver wasn't small enough so we didn't do anything today". Losing the weight I want but then having a messed up body image and not being able to accept my new self.

What is your weight loss short term goals and Long term goals? Short term: to look good when I go on my celebratory cruise at the end of June! Long term, lose 130 lbs

List at least one thing you want to do/wear/eat/buy when you reach your goal? I want to walk into Old Navy (or insert any other random store) and go to the clearance rack and buy some super freaking cute on sale outfit for like $5. I want to wear cute strappy heels! I want to go with my family to an amusement park. Oh, but the first thing I'll do when I hit my goal is go rent a jet ski, because I've always wanted to go on one. So I guess I better aim my goal for summer time!

Congrats Doug!!! Your story made me both nervous and even more excited. I am glad it went well. :smile:

Deb, you're next! Good luck tomorrow and let us know how it goes!

Bumping this back up to the top!

Do we have any updates yet? How did everything go, 1sters? Can't wait to hear from ya'll! :thumbdown:

Ann, you can do this! Like Meem said, just one day at a time... You can do anything for just ONE day. I had to tell myself that a lot today too, for some reason it was harder than it has been.

We are so close now, though! WE can do this! :thumbdown:

I would ask about switching to another shake...

I spoke with the dietician about it and she told me the requirements (ratio of carbs to Protein was my doctor's) and then when I went in to pick up my pre-op instructions they said "ok which flavor of Protein powder do you want? It's $100" (or whatever the exact cost was - it was expensive!) and just let her know that the dietician already told me the requirements and I had ordered a huge thing of it for $20 from a website..... She said oh okay, that's cool.

And that was the end of it!

Before I vent, I will say for the record: I would probably be worried about this if I was going to Mexico for surgery, and I totally understand why this is certainly a big deal for someone that is traveling to the epi-center of this mess and will be inside a hospital, etc. So please don't mistake my irritation for someone that can't recognize that in some circumstances there ARE those that should be aware of what's going on, and concerned about the whole ordeal.

But for the most part...

I am SO SICK OF HEARING about the swine flu already! It is such a stupid media thing, they are all having a fit over it just because there's nothing much else going on.

FACTS from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for the 2008 Flu Season:

During September 30, 2007 – May 17, 2008, World Health Organization (WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) collaborating laboratories in the United States tested 225,329 specimens for influenza viruses; 39,827 (18%) were positive.

(CDC - Influenza (Flu) | Flu Activity)

It is harder for the CDC to speculate an exact number of adult deaths that were caused by the flu, because many of these deaths are in the elderly, young, or those with existing respiratory disease. I saw an interview with a man from the CDC this morning and he said that approximately 20,000 people die each year, though.

20,000.

Yet the Fort Worth, TX ISD shut down 140 schools for a week and a half because ONE kid got the SWINE FLU.

A strain that, according to the CDC is less severe AND has a smaller course.

I mean, I get it. It's a tragedy that people have died. It is sad, and it really sucks. But do we need to get so worked up over this, so much so that it's causing panic? I feel so bad for the people that have one or more of the 40 THOUSAND (40,000) children that go to a Ft. Worth school - in economic times such as do we need people skipping work to hang out with their (bored) kid? And don't think you can take them to the mall or movies or to eat pizza, because the news is also saying don't go to crowded areas or Chuck E cheese or anything of the sort.

I wish the news could get onto something else for a bit! Didn't some fake "reality show" dumb "celebrities" get married or something? Where's the good old Octomom? Let's get all up in her business again for a while... (that's something I never thought I'd say)

Go away PIG FLU!!!!!!! I am washing my hands of you!!!!!!!!

Oh, the GOOD and WELL thing. I used to mess that one up.

Example:

How are you today?

I am doing well, thank you.

It's not good!!!

An unrelated pet peeve: GUM SMACKERS. I am happy you like your gum, but seriously? Not everyone in zip code needs to hear it, thanks. I have a co-worker that does this, AT WORK. One day I broke down and something to him about it and he said "oh haha yeah my mom and sister don't let me chew gum around them - I've always done that". OK really? Was that not a big sign?

I just got approved with Cigna on April 1, and I agree that you should start with March.

But also - I did not have to do a 5 year history. They told me 2, and my surgeon sent in 3 just because that's what my PCP sent to them.

I guess it is better to err on the side of caution though. Just letting you know my experience.

That reminds me... I never asked about birth control pills. Are those okay?

Also they never gave me a pill crusher like they said they would! I forgot to ask about it before I left.

What do ya'll think?

Good luck!!!! I can't wait to hear how the first of our group does!

Please update us when you can!!!!! :thumbup:

I am not banded yet (one week from today, AHHH!) but I wanted to jump in and say that I was a member of Curves for a year and a half until my local one closed.

One of the things I liked about it is that it is not intimidating like other regular gyms. There are people there to help you with the equipment, and the women that are there are very normal people. You don't see (at least, at mine) super competitive very atheletic body builder type: just regular average women that want to work out in a group-type setting. They usually make it fun for everyone by having stuff like weekly trivia questions with prizes, themed days, you get shirts for every 100 work outs you get, they put your name up a lot of times if you lose the most weight or inches that month, etc.

Another really cool thing that most Curves have now is Smart equipment. They give you a little wrist band that has a plastic "key" type thing. You are registered in their computers with your height, weight, and cardio/strength "norm" (they set you up with that so it's customized for YOU and YOUR strengths and cardio norm and not just a standardized number given your info). You put your little key into each machine as you go around the circuit, and it tells you if you are doing the machine fast/hard enough or not. When you finish your circuit you can check their computer and it will tell you what areas you didn't do too well on that day, how many calories you burned, etc.

Now, the bad part..... Sometimes I REALLY dreaded having to chat it up with the people there. Not that they weren't all lovely ladies but sometimes I just want to work out without having to talk about the weather or what my weekend plans were or whatever. If you are very social, or go with a friend or co-worker, or you're just super quiet and don't care if everyone else thinks you're a B... then I wouldn't worry about this part.

I loved it because it was close enough to where I work that I could go on my lunch hour, and I didn't get too sweaty not to be able to go back to work afterwards.

Go in and ask for a free week - I know at mine the manager gave people free weeks all of the time just to try it out.

Good luck!! I bet you will like it. :biggrin:

I did 45 minutes on the tread-mill today, yeah!!

Wow, that REALLY stinks.......

I was born premature and had underdeveloped lungs and as a result had asthma for a lot of my childhood that had me in and out of the hospital. So while it's been a while since I have had anything as bad as you (I don't get attacks any more, I just have a smoker's cough as a result of the asthma nowadays - something I am praying will go away after weight loss) I can sort of relate. At least, to the whole feeling of that stuff.

Anyways, I am sorry to hear this. I'm glad to hear everything went okay as far as the scans though - at least now you can put the thoughts out of your head. And yeah it SUCKS to think you're this close and it could be delayed... but don't think that way yet! You never know... When is your pre-op appt? Can you just call the surgeon's office and get their opinion?

I know it's easier to say this but it IS better to be at 100% for the surgery. Then again, I also know you were venting so that's all I will say on that. :thumbup:

The Bandito tribe will be crossing our fingers for you (yes, I totally just spoke for the group :laugh:) for good news!!!!!

Let us know what happens.

Amy

My surgery is on a Wednesday and I am going back on Monday. I'm in marketing and so it's an office job. There are only a few people that work out of my office and they are all sales people that are only there Monday's and Friday's. Two of them know what is going on, so I know they will be able to make excuses for me if I need to close my office door on Monday and be alone. I doubt I will though - I am sure the mayo Banditos will bounce back with no problems!

What a cruel world.

I JUST got this email from my boyfriend:

I would loose all my points

SERIOUSLY?!?!

I hate "like" too. I noticed my 2nd grader using it a lot and when I tried to figure out how she picked up on it, I noticed that *I* say it too... So we started watching when we use it and we've both pretty much stopped. It's like, so annoying to like talk to someone and that's all like you can even like concentrate on!

OK seriously, "nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers" is something I have never heard and it is probably going to be the cutest thing I have heard in a while. That is CA-YUTE and I plan on using it as soon as I can!

Also I was thinking wow, 10 days away - that is close! Then I realized you are only 2 days before me and that was even more scary.

It's normal though, and that's why we have each other - our fellow BANDitos to lean on for support!

You're right, Tapshoes - I typoed on that one. It is couldn't. I was so into venting it that I was in a rush to get the thought out! :w00t:

And Jaffa Steve: Nope, I don't think I am superior - as I stated in my original post (and Tapshoes pointed out) I was just expressing a pet peeve.

I think that's the entire point of a pet peeve... You can't (and don't have to) explain why it bothers you, it just does. That's what makes people interesting.

Although if I didn't have pet peeves I probably would be living a "charmed life", but oh well. Maybe in the next life.

Specifically and pacifically is a good one! I used to work with someone that did that constantly.

Keep 'em coming!

Loose does not = lose, it's different pronunciations. You have loose change in your pockets. When you a play a game you don't win, you lose.

Also, while I'm at it - your and you're are two different words. You're going to have LB surgery in your surgeon's hospital if you're ready. See?

And finally, you could'NT care less. Not COULD care less. If you could care less that means you do care, and it IS in fact possible to care less than you already do.

ok WOW. I feel soooooooooo much better now.

Thanks for not judging my pet peeves.

Well, I had mine this morning!

It was a lot of info and I wish I also had taken a recorder or another set of ears. I already got all the post-op info in the same packet as my pre-op stuff so I already had that but he went over stuff like what to expect the day of, told me to keep up the pre-op diet but I am doing well, etc. Then I asked the questions that you guys advised and wrote down everything.

I am sure he was thinking "ok lady hurry up" but so! I wanted to make sure I got everything asked and written down!

Something I ALMOST walked out of there without asking is: where do I go the day of surgery? Sounds like an easy question but I have to be there at 5:15am and there aren't going to be TOO many people around to ask. So luckily I remembered that!

I will have skin glue so I will be able to take a shower whenever. I get my first fill after 5 weeks. I have to walk every 1 to 2 hours the day after surgery, and drive after about 5 days.

Now this is feeling more real - it's one think to read the information here or on a piece of paper but it's another for someone to look right at you and it's YOU that is having all of this done! Ack!!!

:thumbup:

Lima Beans actually sound like a WELCOME CHANGE. I will ask them tomorrow when I go if that's ok. Asparagus is good, I have done that but not as much as green Beans and broccoli.

The past couple of days I've switched my dinner and "lunch" around and done a salad for lunch and oatmeal or toast for dinner. So that's been kind of nice, it's just eating the same thing and having no real choices that sucks.

I looked it up once but I honestly can't remember the difference. The Realize holds more cc's, I'm sure about that... but the other one is more common. I think the way it is built is a little different?

My surgeon said he just does the regular one so I didn't read up on it much. Do a search in one of the main forums and I'm sure you'll find tons of info.

I'm curious as to what you find out and what you decide, tho so let us know. :rolleyes2:

I started feeling better after probably day 2. It was sooo much mental stuff - going from being like "YES! TIME FOR LUNCH!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD SHALL I HAVE TODAY, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS! :thumbup:" to, "hmm I need to make a quick shake and keeo working" or whatever.

So by day 3 I was over being excited about my "endless possibilities" and I was moving on with it.

I have lost 13 lbs since I started the pre-op, for a total of 40 since I started down the LB road so I am trying to use that as motivation. One of my friends that I haven't seen in a couple of months that has no idea I am doing this saw a new pic on Facebook and said something to me about having lost weight, so YAY!

You can totally do it though! The pudding is a GREAT idea. I like doing a little bit of a banana and/or some frozen strawberries in my shake. I did peaches and they are OK too.

Keep us updated!!

Amy

Nice! Those are good questions! I am glad I asked.

I am kind of nervous! I'll let ya'll know how it goes though.

That is terrible!! I am so sorry!

I was also thinking about that the other day - what if something happens or you get sick or something. That really stinks. :smile:

But... Hallelujah has a good point, it is a good opportunity to get closer to your goal... Even though it still sucks.

Okay cool! So you start pre-op tomorrow then?

I am excited for everyone to start so I'm not alone out there. :smile: