JeweI

I think 56 pounds is pretty good. We cannot expect this journey to be perfect. We are gonna mess up and life is going to happen causing us to mess up. Just keep trucking. Also at age 18 I think your skin has more of a chance of bouncing back than most of us. Glad you came back here for support. The only way to get out of this slump you feel your in is to keep on fighting and eventually you will realize you've come out of it. Good luck to you.

I just filled out my Fafsa too. Looks like my school is paid for this year. I guess in someways it pays to be poor. My husband was out of work twice this year so that drove up my Pell grant. Monday I will also be applying for a scholarship for my son to go to private school. We are eligable just depends on how much money is available on wether or not he will get it. This is really a huge relief. My disability is up for review in December. If they decide to take that away from me then I couldn't afford school. Now, with the grant it is not a worry. This is my first disability review and I don't know what to expect. I am taking steps to get back into the workforce but I don't believe I am ready yet. I still have awhile till then so who knows what the year will bring. With the weight coming off I may be doing better. Hopefully I will get my energy back. I feel like I could fall asleep at anytime during the day. Even with my stimulant meds. I had a sleep study done and it came back clean. It is just my hormones being all out of whack. That is the thing that led me to the lapband. Trying to figure out why I am so tired. 2 of my docs say the lapband will help me lose weight and my hormones will adjust back to normal levels. I tried meds to adjust it but they made me real sick so the doc took me off. I gotaa get going to school. I have another anatomy exam today. The last one was so rushed I almost didn't finish. I was panicking. The way the test is set up is, they have models all around the room and we have to identify the parts with numbered stickers on them. So we each have to wait our turn. There can only be one person at a time at each of the models. It is complicated but I have to wait for someone else to finish and if they take a long time I could end up not finishing. Have a great day everyone. TTYL

Congrats on hitting Onederland.

I got alot of studying in today. My lil boy was so good and quiet for me. He wants to stay home again but I can't do it. I have exams tommorrow and weds. Also cleaned my room today and got rid of all my fat clothes. Now all I have is clothes that fit and clothes that are gonna fit. I have therapy starting back on thursday. My therapist doesn't know I had the surgery because I haven't seen her in awhile. Can't wait to see her though. Also, have my second fill on friday. I feel like my weight went up a bit the past couple days. I am hungry and thirsty all the time. I am getting nervous knowing I only have a few days left to meet my goal of 12 pounds lost since my last visit. Don't know if I'll get it off by friday but I'm gonna try my best. Good nite all.

It actually depends on if the company you work for has choosen to offer this to it's employees. I have uhc through my husbands job but his company is so small they opted out of this coverage. If by chance your company does offer it I believe you have a good chance. You may be able to get more info at myuhc.com. I am 28, my BMI was 43, and I have PCOS and was prediabetic. I qualified through my medicare. Some insurance companies require a 6 month doctor supervised diet before they will approve. Pick a surgeon and talk to his staff about it. Good luck.

I am 28 and in college. I was banded 1/4/10. I am struggling to find the right foods to fit in my schedule but I think I am getting it down. I didn't want to use Protein shakes all the time but I am starting to have them more often due to my schedule. It is helping me stick to the plan. All my lab partners are trying to lose weight. So they think I am just trying the same things they are and losing. I haven't told many people about my surgery. I feel more like it is a private issue for me. I have thought about sharing but don't feel I know anyone well enough yet. This is only my second semester after a ten year break. I think eventually it is going to come up though when they realize I am losing alot. I will be taking off this summer and hopefully be accepted and start nursing in the fall. I will be way down by then and I am sure it will come out. By then I will probably be shouting it from the roof tops. I just don't like having everyone as a food policemen. I am going to visit my brother over spring break. I am so excited about it I could bust. Don't know if I should mention the surgery or not. I don't want to but spending the week with him he may notice my new strange eatting habits. Oh well if people find out I guess. It was my decision and I don't regret it.

Julie, I think your new picture looks awesome. I love it and no I haven't gotten a lick of studying in this weekend. I have an exam tues. and weds. but life happens right. Yesterday we went to the monster jam. I felt a little sick but not too bad. We had an awesome time. Rode in a monster truck and saw history made. The first time a monster truck ever landed a backflip and it was awesome. My son fell asleep half way through and despite wearing 4 layers of clothes he started to shiver. So we began walking to the car and I thought if he walked it would warm him up. Get his blood flowing and stuff. Plus he is too big to carry. We finally got home about 1 am. Then at 5 this morning we heard that cry that all moms know. He was sick. We thought he was having an asthma attack and rushed him to the ER. Longest hour drive of my life. He started doing better on the way there. When we got there they told us he had a virus causing croupe. They gave him steroids and a breathing treatment and he seems fine now. I just have to keep him home from school tommorrow and use a humidifier. He had croupe as a baby, I guess I just forgot the sound of it. We got back home about 9 slept till 4 had dinner and finally a shower. I was feeling so gross. I am still tired and can't decided if I should study or sleep. I also feel dehydrated and sunkissed. I am questioning myself too. Should I have done this or that? Would he still have gotten sick? I thought he would be good with all the layers and his ears covered. I don't know just crazy thoughts. Can't change a thing and he is fine now. I just hate to tell him we are gonna do something then tell him we can't because of the weather. Apparently, I wasn't the only one because there were thousands of children there. I just happened to be the one in the ER this morning. I ate horrible yesterday too but got plenty of walking in. I know I am ready for a fill cause I am hungry all the time. My next fill is friday. Overall I just feel crummy. Being sick and tired and crazy and hungry. I'll bounce back though. Think I will just get some fluids, meds and rest in then study tommorrow. I am glad you got some rest.

Thank you Joyce, I thought I recognized your name as a subscriber. I have made so many friends on you tube doing that. Well just in time for the Monster Jam I get sick again. I am still gonna go but it probably won't help things. I do have an extra day off on monday so I will have time to rest up. I don't know if it is the weather or if it was my tooth brush so I am gonna switch that out. It is going to be freezing tonite so we are all bundled up. Heave a great day everyone.

Afternoon sisters, I ran a few errends today but as always they take forever because I live so far away from town. I am taking my 5 year old to the Monster truck show tommorrow. We got free passes. Then if you wanna ride a monster truck you have to go to a local auto repair place and get tickets for it, it's free too. AND, if you wanna meet the drivers you have to get tickets for that from a ford dealership, that is also free. So I have been all over driving for about 3 hours trying to get all this "free" stuff. I know it is worth it though. He is going to be in heaven. We went last year and he still talks about it. Gotta check the weather and see if we need our rain gear. Hubby got paid today which means I can buy my plane tickets to visit my brother. I can't wait to see him again. So much has changed since our last visit. I found a great deal at AAA.com. I am a little nervous because I have to catch a connecting flight in Atlanta. That airport is huge compared to ours and busy too. I am planning a 3 hour layover there. That will give me plenty of time I hope. I haven't flown in 14 years so I am not real sure how much time I will need. I know they want me there 2 hours before the plane leaves. I certainly don't want to get bumped by an overbooked plane. That happend when I was 14. They had changed the boarding time and we were late. Now I know to call the day before. Janet, I am drinking the protein drinks after my fills and for breakfast. I was skipping breakfast alot and thought I would try this. That's why I was asking about Unjury. After linda's comment though about not liking them I think I will stick to adkins.

Break a leg tonite Judy.

Thanks so much for the wonderful compliment. I am just so tired of letting my illness tell me I can't. On thing I learned in therapy is I can. I am not broken. It may take more effort from me but I still can achieve things. I don't mind at all. It was a tough decision because we thought he was familar with the people there and we didn't want to disrupt him. We made the right decision though and LOVE his new school. They don't even have TV'S for the kids to watch. They teach. Everytime I went to pick him up at the old school they would be watching TV and that bothered me. Plus one day he got a bump in the nose, it looked broken to me but the teacher said there was no bleeding. I took him to the Doc anyway and he told me there definately was bleeding even had to clean it out with a swab. Thankfully it wasn't broken. I know kids will get hurt but give me a call or something to let me know he is injured. They didn't mention it until I asked why his nose was black and blue. That school became a tug of war between me and my MIL. I pulled him out once before and was taking him to a different school. Then I ended up in the hospital. When I got home from the hospital I discovered that he had been switched back to that school. So my MIL could take him instead of me.:smile2: I better get off that subject. Nothing new to report here. Got a long day ahead of me. I don't get home from school til 9:30 tonite. Then I am off tommorrow.Yay! Yesterday I took a sip of my protein drink and yuck it was all lumpy. It wasn't past the expiration date yet. Don't know what happened but that was gross. I gotta get some more tommorrow. I think I'll look into that unjury. Anyone use those?

I have lost 33 pounds since Nov, -21 since surgery Jan 4th. I have gained a new attitude. When I first wore my new jeans to class I felt a little uncomfortable because I was no longer hiding in my baggy jeans and shirts. Now, I am proud to wear them. I wear them every other day. The new slacks I bought are already feeling lose after a week of wear. My confidence is building as I succeed with weightloss and with school. Even though I am the biggest chick in the room I don't feel like I stand out anymore. I can see the change in the mirror. I can't believe these are my legs and my chin has returned. My husband says he can feel the difference when he hugs me. I am aiming for 17 more pounds by easter. That is when I will be visiting my brother. Oh how surprised he will be when he sees a third of me is missing. I also went to orlando a little while ago and met some friends from LBT. We had a blast talking with each other and I got some great advice. Feels like I have a few new moms and sisters. I am also going to return to volunteering in my son's karate class. They need a little help with all those 4 and 5 year olds. My son kept getting hurt in there because they don't have enough teachers. I have a fill appt next friday. I hope to be down 5 more pounds by then. I always get so nervous to see my doc cause he gives it to you straight. If I lose 5 more pounds by then I won't have to worry about it. I have decided to resume therapy. The only reason I stopped going was because we no longer had insurance. Now that I have it again I think I need to go back. I stopped taking my psych meds for awhile and I think I need someone to keep me accountable for them. I got so caught up in the magic of the band I forgot about my issues. I even missed an appt. My therapist really challenges me. She has helped me tremendously with my social anxiety and PTSD. Helped me set goals and then follow through. Taking I can't out of my voc. After I was diagnosed with psych issues I felt so helpless and weak. She showed me I can still have a happy fulfilling life. Having psych issues doesn't make me stupid. It makes me human.

My goal is to be a nurse.

Sounds yummy, and you are so sweet to do this when you aren't feeling well. I think I did well on my test. It felt easy enough and only took me about 30 minutes.:wink: Now for my micro exam tommorrow. Then another micro exam tues. I have another exam for anatomy weds on the parts of the respiratory sytem. You wouldn't think there was alot to it but there is. I just gotta keep plugging away at all this a little at a time. Seems like I just have alot of exams. Atleast anatomy 2 doesn't count towards my entrance application. I learned that today and it certainly took off some pressure. In every class I try to be the highest in the class so I know I have a better chance of getting in. Honestly I just cannot believe I am doing this. 3 years ago I hit rock bottom but with alot of work and meds I am coming out of my slump. I look in the mirror and can't believe what I see. I have that same feeling on my way to school I just can't believe I am successful in school. I am turning my life around.

I am taking my first postop flight in April. I am hoping to be where you are by then. COngrats and thanks for the encouragement.

I had the same thought this morning. I din't struggle to get my socks on. Maybe now I can get shoes that tie. I also feel presured by my family to lose fast. I didn't even want anyone to know. I told my mother in law(MIL) because she lives with us and she told the whole family. Now when ever they see me I feel like they are judging wether or not the band is doing it's job.

I have lost 33 pounds since Nov, -21 since surgery Jan 4th. I have gained a new attitude. When I first wore my new jeans to class I felt a little uncomfortable because I was no longer hiding in my baggy jeans and shirts. Now, I am proud to wear them. I wear them every other day. The new slacks I bought are already feeling lose after a week of wear. My confidence is building as I succeed with weightloss and with school. Even though I am the biggest chick in the room I don't feel like I stand out anymore. I can see the change in the mirror. I can't believe these are my legs and my chin has returned. My husband says he can feel the difference when he hugs me. I am aiming for 17 more pounds by easter. That is when I will be visiting my brother. Oh how surprised he will be when he sees a third of me is missing. I also went to orlando a little while ago and met some friends from LBT. We had a blast talking with each other and I got some great advice. Feels like I have a few new moms and sisters. I am also going to return to volunteering in my son's karate class. They need a little help with all those 4 and 5 year olds. My son kept getting hurt in there because they don't have enough teachers. I have a fill appt next friday. I hope to be down 5 more pounds by then. I always get so nervous to see my doc cause he gives it to you straight. If I lose 5 more pounds by then I won't have to worry about it. I have decided to resume therapy. The only reason I stopped going was because we no longer had insurance. Now that I have it again I think I need to go back. I stopped taking my psych meds for awhile and I think I need someone to keep me accountable for them. I got so caught up in the magic of the band I forgot about my issues. I even missed an appt. My therapist really challenges me. She has helped me tremendously with my social anxiety and PTSD. Helped me set goals and then follow through. Taking I can't out of my voc. After I was diagnosed with psych issues I felt so helpless and weak. She showed me I can still have a happy fulfilling life. Having psych issues doesn't make me stupid. It makes me human.

I do fine with canned green beans but I think frozen or fresh might be different. If chicken goes down just fine the day before then I would just cut out the green beans for now. I wouldn't think you would need an unfill unless it starts happening often.

The band goes around the upper part of your stomach and creates a small pouch for food. Once the pouch is full you have to stop eatting. So you are eatting much less food than before. There are somethings you will no longer be able to eat everyone is differnt with what the band will allow. I have a hard time with chicken but do fine with diet soda. Most people can't do soda. Bread is ifie, I can't have some types of Pasta. With my doc's diet though I have to limit my carb intake. Some doc's require you to get a certain amount of Protein. You can't drink with your meals. It truly is a lifestyle change. If I go out to eat I share with my husband now because I just eat a little bit. The great things though, I have lost 21 pounds since my surgery jan 4th. I bought new clothes because my others are too big. I have more energy. My family sees my hard work and is proud of me. My confidence has boosted. I am no longer embarrassed because I have a huge plate of unhealthy food. I am winning the battle of the bulge. I have made new friends on this site and actually met them in person. They are wonderful. I am making plans to fly, an airplane seat doesn't scare me. Nor does a rollercoaster seat so I am planning a trip to Disney. Nor does the mirror. I was looking at myself this morning and couldn't believe those were my legs. I am getting more active socially and with my family. It has changed my life already. Good luck to you whichever you decide.

I have hypoglycemia myself. Iwas on metformin for awhile but it was making me sick. Tha's when my endo suggested the band. I was nervous about the preop and postop diet. It was liquid and low carb. I can't have mashed potatos, oatmeal or yogurt. I started the low carb 2 months before banding, by the time I was on liquids I felt so much better. I have more energy and my family even noticed. If I break the rules and eat over 30 carbs I start to feel tired again. I only had 2 days of preop liquids and a week postop liquids. Follow your doc's instructions. They deal with this all the time. Many people do cut back or even completly come off their diabetic meds after they lose some weight and keep their diet in check. I have lost 33 pounds since Nov and 21 since my surgery Jan 4th. The most important thing I want to stress is follow your doc's instructions. It will keep you safe, losing and you won't worry so much about slippage and stretching your pouch. Goodd luck to you on whichever path you take.

I think a motorcycle ride to vegas would be too long even for us. My tush can't handle 4 days of riding. We could fly there and rent a motorcycle, though. I have an exam in Anatomy today. It covers alot of material. I am nervous about it. I also have an exam tommorrow in Microbiology and a paper due in Film class. It is getting close to midterm. I guess thats why everything is coming all at once. I am tired and want to crawl back in bed. I guess I don't want to face this. Time to put on my "big girl panties" and get it done. Even though my son played in the play group once a week he had a difficult time when he started preschool. They wanted him to go to different therapies. They didn't follow through with it and said they were waiting on something from me. Just bad communication. Well, he never started those therapies and we sent him to another preschool. He has improved so much at this new school. He is talking well and not afraid of the other kids anymore. It took time but his new teachers really worked with him. They seperate the kids into play groups of 3-4 and I think that has made it easier for him to adjust. He is quiet and doesn't like alot of stimulation. It was a difficult transition but the right teachers helped him along.

When you create the ticker you are given a url to go back to for updates. It is different for everyone. You have to save it to your favorites and return to the same page when you are ready to update. I would suggest you create a new one and make sure you get that url written down or save it to your favorites. Ms.Bubba, Don't be so down on yourself. You do the most productive thing you can do, take care of mimi. You are a wonderful person and I loved meeting you. You are so loving and caring. Perfect for little Mims and for us on here. I know it can be hard being home everyday. I have done that for the past 5 years. It deffinetly helps to have people to talk to like us. I started looking up play groups for my son when I got down and I would meet other adults that way. Do you think you could try that? I am sure Mims would love some new little friends to play with too. Great, so glad you had a wonderful time in Vegas. My hubby and I have been discussing going there. Really I am trying to talk him into it. I wanna see what all the talk is about. He would rather take a motorcycle trip. I have micro today and then I gotta go to karate with my son. Apparently, a bigger boy in his class has been roughing him up. I know he is just playing but Jacob says it hurts and he won't go to karate without me. They have about 12 kids and only one teacher so I think they need a volunteer referee. I stuck to my eatting plan yesterday. I am having fish for lunch and sausage and salad for dinner. Maybe have a low carb weight watchers icecream bar too.:tongue_smilie: My Sil had her baby this weekend. Haven't heard from her about her trouble with the 12 year old. I think she has come to her senses. My brothers baby was due sat but I haven't heard from him yet. I may call him tonite if I can. I cannot wait to go visit him. I am gonna have so much weight off by then and I will get to meet the little one and see where he lives. I cried last time he visited and it was time to leave. I miss him so much.

I am so glad to hear your surgery went well Joyce. Let the transformation begin! Do keep up with the pain meds. I stopped taking mine thinking I felt better and regreted it.

Congrats on the "new" clothes. Thinking of Joyce this morning. I have class this morning. Took my meds. I have even started taking Calcium like my doc recommends. I got these Viactive chocolate chewables. Don't really taste like choclate but they still taste good. Working on my Protein shake for Breakfast, Got my chicken and salad packed for lunch. So I am gonna succeed today at sticking to the plan. After school I hope to get my taxes done and then Tee ball practice. I got a busy one ahead of me. I am learning to plan my meals. I had it all under control til school started but I am catching on. Have a great day everyone.

I think my hernia repair was more painful than the band. It hurt everytime I would take a breath. I think it lasted about 10 days for me. It did get better each day though. I think 9 lbs is ok for the first week. I wouldn't worry about it. The pulling pain maybe your port. Just give it all some time. it is just a little fragment compared to the rest of your life.