wootsie73

Thanks for the info. I haven't tried that brand yet, but I'm planning on going to GNC tomorrow anyway. I will pick some up and give it a try. Joan

WOW Tina, I've read through this entire thread, and I must say you are a very strong woman. It's amazing to read your first posts and compare them to the ones you write now. I know that you went through a horrible time over your ex's affair, and I can't understand anyone questioning you about your actions. I think you have done great just to survive the whole ordeal. What a nightmare! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I had been reading your story and am glad you have survived it so well. Good luck! Joan

I read an article about this case yesterday on another website. Man, this 1 is tough. Of course the mother of this child needs education about proper nutrition and parenting skills, but what about parents who's kids are anorexic? Both are eating disorders, just on opposite ends of the spectrum. The kids need therapy along with education about eating properly, as well as the parents. It's also true that most of the kids who get to this weight at such an early age come from families who are below the poverty level, and the parents can't afford the nutritious vegetables and lean meats their kids need to eat. So, do we go around taking kids away from parents all over the country? Do we provide them with high quality food? I don't know the answers, but I know this isn't the only case like this in the country. They have taken physical education out of most of the schools, or have very little if they still have it. That makes it a problem for our entire society, not just the affected families. Where were the doctors while this kid was gaining all of this weight. Is it not their responsibility to step in and help as well? Joan

Well, it only makes sense to me that you would need to have cardiac clearance since you have heart palpitations. No surgeon is going to risk doing surgery on you and having something go horribly wrong with your heart and you die on the table. That would be setting themselves up for a law suit. He obviously thinks the Echo is necessary or he wouldn't have ordered it. I agree with restless. If you aren't happy with what the surgeon is doing, find another surgeon. Joan

I saw a documentary on tru TV a couple of nights ago about whether the USA actually sent astronauts to the moon back in the late 1960's and early 1970's during the Apollo era. Although I've always believed we did, since I watched it live on TV (telling my age...LOL), but they had a lot of convincing evidence that says it was all a hoax. What do you guys think? Did we or didn't we? Joan

The video they showed on the documentary was the original supposedly taken on the moon. One of the many things they pointed out was the American flag was waving in the wind. THERE IS NO WIND ON THE MOON! Also, you could always see the astronauts like they had a spot light on them, when they were in the shadows of the little space ship thing. Many other things, but those really stood out. I didn't even know about NASA erasing the tapes. I just saw on Geraldo that only 1 tape was lost, and it was found in Australia. Go figure. Joan

Sharon Osborne did have a lap-band, but she supposedly had it removed a couple of years ago. Wouldn't it be nice if someone really famous got a band? That would sure get the band a lot of publicity. Joan

Suz, I am a Registered Nurse, and I have hypothyroidism. I've done a lot of research on WLS over the past 3 years, and I've never heard of anyone being able to get off of their thyroid medication. That's not something that's just gonna go away like so many of the other co-morbidities will. You may be able to get off of your blood pressure meds, but I highly doubt you will ever get off of the thyroid medication. Joan

Welcome to the site Hope! There is a wealth of information on this board that will teach you what you need to know about the band. Of course, most of the people on here have the lap-band or are considering it. Just do lots of reading and ask as many questions as you need to. It's important to know as much about it as you can learn. Good luck on your journey, and feel free to ask anything. Joan

I would also suggest you see a regular doctor and have your blood sugar tested. It sounds like you may have undiagnosed diabetes. I never craved sugar before either, but shortly before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I literally craved sugar all the time. In fact, I still do. I just have to really watch what I eat. You definitely need to find a fill doc asap too. Joan

Tylenol PM is Tylenol with Benadryl in it. So, if you can't function taking the Benadryl by itself, you should react the same as you did when you just took the Benadryl. Make sense? Joan

I think the most important question is, are you happy with Dr Barker himself? If you really like him and trust him, then I would wait it out with them. If you don't really like him that much, I would change surgeons now. There are lots of surgeons in the DFW area that will do a great job for you. I've personally been waiting for 3 years, so I don't think I would get upset over a couple of weeks, but that's just me. Good luck and keep us posted on how things are going. Joan

Hello Everyone, I have posted to this thread, but I can't get the initial postings from everyone else to come up. I don't know if it's because the thread is to large for my computer, or what the issue is. Is anyone else having this problem? Just curious about it, because I really need the support from you guys who are about my age. Please let me know if you have any ideas. Joan

Please be very careful with the Dilaudid. Granted, it's a great pain killer, but it's very strong. I'm not a doctor, but I can tell you from personal experience that it can make you dizzy, etc. Joan

I'm glad you got your band. I am sure I will get my band when the time is right. Just waiting.....tic toc. LOL Joan

What's the actual website? There are a ton of things listed under Bariatric Surgery on Google. Is this a surgeons website, or just something about lap-band surgery? Joan

Where do you get the Daktarin gel? I've never heard of it, but I have the same problem, and I'm not even banded yet. However, I am doing a modified Adkins Diet right now. Joan

Hi, Sorry, but I haven't been back to this thread since my initial post, so I missed your post. What part of TX do you live in? I would love to have my surgery before the end of summer to, but the hospital where my surgeon practices still doesn't have the Center of Excellence certification. I am going to call them tomorrow and see if they have heard anything yet. I would love to keep in touch with you and keep each other informed about what's going on with us. Joan

It's bad that so many people feel like we are cheating. There is a TV show on about a living facility for the morbidly obese. Some of these people weigh 800 lbs or more. They have tons of other health issues besides their obesity. The name of is Brookhaven Obesity Clinic. Maybe some of you have seen the show. Anyway, they discourage their patients from having any kind of WLS, telling them it is the easy way out. Well, I don't agree with them at all. Some of the people do really well there, but there are tons of others who end up dead due to their co-morbidities. When a bariatric living facility thinks it's taking the easy way out, how are people in the general public supposed to react? Lots of people need lots of education about WLS. Joan

Boy can I relate to what you went through. I'm an RN myself and have always worked in cardiac. I haven't had very much said from my fellow nurses, at least not that I could hear, but I've heard it from some of the docs. I haven't heard nearly as much about myself as the patients. We once had a patient who weighed over 600 lbs who had a fistula that needed repairing, and the doc literally said he was disgusted to have to even try to find it, right in front of the patient. He was extremely rude to her and eventually just tore his gloves off and left the room, looking like a total a@$. Anyway, try not to let them intimidate you at this point. I was intimidated by doctors when I was in nursing school many moons ago, and I never really got over it. I'm disabled now, but I let some docs intimidate me for years. They are not worth it, and they are not God, as they tend to think they are. As far as the other nurses, try not to give them the satisfaction of knowing they bothered you. They are just rude and inconsiderate. They think they are better than you, because you are a student, but remind them when you become an RN that they were students at 1 time to. The best thing I can tell you about this is to never forget it. Every time you have an obese patient or co-worker, remember how you felt and never treat them the way you were treated. Of course, that will have to include student nurses to. You know how scary all of it is now, and try to remember that with the ones you will help teach. Joan

So, what do you want us to call medical care that is provided by the government? It's definitely not just "single payer". It is my belief that you are being lied to by your government much more so than your insurance company. How long do you think it will take for all of the doctors are working for the government? How long do you think it will take for all of the hospitals to be run by the government? The medical plan that is being pushed down our throats is something doctors, hospitals, nurses, and all other healthcare workers are fighting. I as a nurse, can tell you that I don't have 1 colleague who wants the government to take over our medical care. So, I think you are the ones who are misinformed, not the people who are calling it what it is. SOCIALIZED MEDICINE! Joan

Well, I've been working on this process for 3 years and am still not banded, so since April doesn't seem very long to me. Some of my time was unavoidable, but 3 months isn't that long. However, your surgeons office does sound pretty disorganized to me. I think if you don't feel comfortable with how they run their business, you should find another doc. The band definitely does require a lot of follow-up. Joan

The problem with people who need help is they don't think they need help. That's not just rich weirdos. I would hate to think I had to live the life he lead, not only as an adult, but as a child to. He was forced to be the bread winner for his entire family when he was just a little kid. It's sad that he and Farrah died this week, but Paul Newman and Charlton Heston died recently, and we hardly heard anything about them. I wonder why that is? Although I don't put myself in the same arena as MJ at all, when my daughter was in middle school and high school, it wasn't uncommon for her and her friends to all pile into my bed to watch movies and fall asleep. I had other peoples kids in my bed almost every weekend, but I sure never thought about molesting any of them. That's JUST SICK! Joan

I hate to disagree with you, but a child did describe his penis. He was not charged, because they knew they would never get a conviction without the cooperation of the kid who described it to them. I believe he was a child molester, but I have no proof to back that up. It's just a gut feeling. However, I do give him the credit I think he deserves for the contributions to the music and dance industry. He was an icon and a musical genius, but that does not excuse the bad things he did. He was a freak, and even though I like to listen to his music, I am honest with myself about how weird he was.