Betsyjane

Hi everyone! I went to the first Spivak support meeting and loved it but havne't been back. Too far a drive for me at night. Sounds like it has been wroth it, though.....

I've had 3 diet cokes since I was banded and never had a carbonation problem. Decided not to drink alcohol though...didn't want to sepnd the calories that way.

I didn't think I had a sugar addiction until I got the band. Then I was craving ice cream all the time. So I think mine was more about getting easy calories through..... Anyway, I certainly do much better with zero sugar.

I am not in your situation, but I know I would regain my weight without the band, so Im pretty sure I would opt to repair repar repair....and if eventually it failed again, I'd do gastric. I just know that new habits won't overcome my cravings without the band.

I may or may not be there tonight. Just getting over a head cold. I think I'm OK, but you know how it is...Have to see if I'm still not symptomatic by evening. Don't want to spread it.....

Look at the difference in the way your arms hang down straighter! Attagirl! I just created a calorie counter. Now don't laugh. I wanted to count calories without looking them up or carrying a pen and paper. So I put a rubber band around my left pinkie finger. Each finger is worth 100 calories. Right now, I've eaten 400 calories for the day, so the rubber band is on my left pointer finger. I've had the band long enought to roughly know how many calories something has, and I round up or down to the nearest hundred. When the rubber band is on my right pinky, I'm finished for the day!

I have a new invention to share with you. I was looking at that BodyBugg thing that tracks your exercise and your calories...for $400 plus a monthly subscription!!!!! I have really wanted to track my calories without carrying a pencil and paper with me. So here's what I'm doing and it works great! I've had the band long enough to know roughly how many calories a meal or snack has. So I put a rubber band around my finger, starting with the pinkie of my left hand. Each finger is 100 calories. Today, so far, the rubber band has moved to my left pointer finger, so I've had 400 calories. When I get to the little finger of my right hand, I'm through for the day. Anything gets rounded up or down to the nearest 100.

Most of us had it for a few days. They told me to walk a lot and take gas-x, but I decided I didn't want to be annoyed with it and kept dosing liquid Tylenol (and an occasional heating pad). Did you know that they had to blow up your insides with gas so they could work in there during surgery? Weird, huh? It's awful...and it goes away.

I was on diabetic meds, no insulin, and went off of it 6 months after being banded. Haven't had to go back. But everybody's different....

Is our OP still around? I'd like to know how she's doing......

Where's bikergrammy?

My hair is auburn this week and I'll be wearing a long sleeve navy t-shirt.......

Drooling.... I slime, but very seldom. It happens when I forget and eat too big a bite or chew too little. It's not like drooling. It's this fascinating adaptation by the body to create a thick slider to get food down that is too big to pass. It's amazing that the body will do that! hair loss, if it happens, happens to most people at around 6 months, and happens once, with the hair then regrowing. Sufficient Protein in your diet helps.... You're trading a new imperfect life for an old imperfect life. I like the new one better, not being morbidly obese!

Sounds just perfect, Diann. Congrats!

At 6 months out, I lost a little hair, but really lost my fingernails. They started peeling off in layers. Then everything went back to normal.....

All those sugar free foods! Too many artificial sweeteners give me gas! And cravings. Artificial sweeteners raise your blood sugar just like sugar does, and the subsequent crash in blood sugar makes you crave crave crave!

I have had my ups and downs. I have lupus, and my weight is a bit contingent on what meds I'm on. If I'm on prednisone, I just have to wait it out until I get off it and can start losing again. With your illnesses, are there any meds issues with your weight?

Oddly, I only had to stay on pureed food for a matter of days. I wonder why there's so much variability among doctors.

I'd like to address a previous thread posting by thie OP. I do think that the rate at which we continue to lose weight is due to many things, one of which is developing exercise as a part of our lifestyles. It is difficult to do that if you are a smoker. I'm curious if anyone has heard of any research about smoking and esophageal irritation post banding. I'm wondering if that might be why you are feeling so much restriction too....

Ha! Glad I didn't have to have a psych exam or anything else..... Just met the doc and scheduled the surgery!

I want to thank the OP for providing such a provokative title and posting. It has brought folk together to talk in a positive way. inda nice when it works out that way.... PS: I lost 2 pounds since day before yesterday...unusual and always welcome.

Just goes to show that psych evals for lap banders have not been standardized yet, and anything goes. And yes, most morbidly obese people are going to test as depressed and possibly angry, as having low self esteem and a variety of other ills. My question is how that qualifies or doesn't qualify one for surgery. And the block test...that's part of the IQ test, and I doubt if IQ is significantly related to lap band outcome. Seems like all you'd really want a psychologist to do is to answer 3 questions: Is the patient sufficiently informed about lap bands to be ready for surgery, Is the patient put together well enough mentally and emotionally for surgery, and does the patient have any eating disorders that need to be addressed prior to being banded... The first question could even be answered by the surgeon. The other two should be able to be done by screening interview and brief Q&A tests....

mjsafari-you started out with a big BMI.... Congrats on your progress so far. Looks like you're definitely on the right track. Attagirl!

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are adorable! Hope it works out. And the goats milk fudge sounds deadly good! Sounds like life and weight are evening out. Congrats. I live with 3 Golden Retrievers and a Poodle, plus 3 indoor cats, and around a dozen other big dogs that we keep in our house while people are on vacation. www.goldenretrievercamp.com I found that getting a natural stiff bristle small headed broom on a long handle is essential. One quick sweep of the carpet in the house brings up mounds of dog hair so I don't later burn my vacuum out. My 7 Nigerian Dwarfs are retired, so no milk. They just keep our fence lines clean and don't ask much of us. They're good cuddlers. As I get closer to my goal I find I have to relearn my same lessons again. I fall into old habits that sneak up on me an dI have to re-corect myself. That's OK. It's working. And I find that I go for ice cream with a passion on days that I know I haven't gotten enough good food in me to sustain me. There seems to be a connection for me. Glad you have the familial housekeeping team! Where do I get one of those?

Where IS Lana????