Betsyjane

Welcome to the journey! You've been persistent...a great sign for your future success with the band! I live in Huffman, not in The Commons...if you've been on the road that has lots of miniature horses, you've probably been by my place. Do you know what your pre op diet will be? Will you stay in the hospital overnight or do the surgery as an outpatient? Do you have the instructions for your post op diet? Every doctor is a little different.... Maybe we can do an initial discussion about Protein drinks.... I started out with Muscle Milk because it tastes so amazingly good, but it was higher in carbs and calories. I now switch back and forth between Slim Fast Carb Control and EAS Carb Control. The EAS only has 110 calories, for, I think, 20 grams of protein. I'm usually really restricted in the mornings, so I often have a shake for Breakfast. Sometimes I add a scoop of Any whey (100% protein, no carbs, 70 calories), some fresh and frozen fruits, my chewable Vitamin, my chewable Calcium, and ice and hit the blender. That way I've gotten my fruit, pills and much of my protein worries out of the way for the day.

Hi Sherry. I've gone through a lot of the same stuff you have. One thing that helped me some was that my band was too tight so I was not bothering with solid foor, and making up for the lack of calories with ice cream. But that was only part of it. I figure I'm like an alcoholic. I'll fall off the wagon, but the first goal is for it to take less time each time to get back on the wagon! And I've really had to manipulate my surroundings. If I eat anything in front of the TV, I go into a trance and just keep eating. And if I sit in front of the TV, I'm not active so that doesn't work either. This food thing is complicated, isn't it? But we'll get there........

Welcome to the journey. We've all been where you are. Most insurance companies won't pay unless your BMI is at least 40, or at least 35 with other related health problems...so dont lose too much weight! If I were you, I'd pick a lap Dr. now so he can officially put you on whatever program your particular insurance requires for you to qualify. Some want very little info and some want a lot more. Good luck! I've sure never regretted getting my band!

Glad you got a kick out of it, Barbara. My life is usually so mundane. Nice to have a good story once in awhile. Congrats on getting back to Tai Chi!

Well, and it semed particularly interesting to me since all 3 women are avid exercisers. I just don't get it. I also think I'd have a fear that the first time I cheated with something high calorie, I'd put on volumes of weight! I do believe you can reset your metabolism to accommodate little food, but then gaining is way too easy. But these people had great energy and were staying at goal weight..... Pretty baffling.

I went to the first Spivak support group and the 3 moderators, who were at goal weight, say they eat around 600 calories a day. To me, that sounds like it's unhealthy. Does anybody know if because of our morbid obesity,we are so efficient at processing food that 600 calories will actually sustain us? Even 800 calories.....Doesn't that seem unhealthy too? Actually, I'm thinking of doing it, if someone can tell me that that makes nutritional sense....

I'd like that too....a couples night.... Well, my health is crappy. My cracked back seems to have precipitated a Lupus attack, so I have to be on the heavy duty drugs that make me gain weight AND that weaken my bones...hence my cracked back. In addition, I possibly have some dead bone, which is not a good thing at all, but comes with the territory. So I hurt, I'm grossly fatigued, can't concentrate. So what to do...Road Trip! I had cabin fever. So I offered to take my 90 year old mother down to Central Market in Houston to get fresh fish, which she loves. Now, mind you, I'm thinking I have JUST enough energy to accomplish this trip. So we drove and shopped. On the way back, at 60 mph, a belt flew off my van and I had NO steering! Luckily the highway was straight. Well, having played dodge-em cars and having wrestled my car to the side of the road, I then got the car towed to a repair place. Now our concerns were 1. getting a working car back, and 2. what to do with all the fresh fish that needed to be kept cold. So the repair guys put our fish in the back side of their coke machine, and drove us back to Central Market to wait for them to fix the car. We were there for 5 hours. Me in my health, and my 90 year old mother in hers. Meanwhile, having had a near death experience and the threat of spoiled fish, we proceeded to giggle our way through the day like a couple of drunks. A thousand dollars to the repair guy later (!), we were back on the road and then back home. :-)

Congrats! Seems like spouses just need some time to adjust and to know that they are still loved. Funny how the people who love us get sidetracked and make it all about themselves instead of our health, but such is life. Get some Better Than Boullion Soup base in the grocery store. It tastes so hearty when you are on liquids! Comes in 3 or 4 different flavors. I like ham and also turkey. Also those Imagine Soups in boxes. It's amazing how good they taste when that's all you can have! For protien shakes, I've been through sooo many. The best tasting, I think, is Muscle Milk, but it's a bit high in calories, carbs, etc. I go back anf forth now between EAS Carb Control and Slim Fast Carb Control. They are both way high in Protein and low in carbs and calories. I'm on solid foods, but I have a lot of restriction in the morning, so Breakfast is usually an EAS chocolate shake in a blender with fresh fruit, froZen smoothie fruit, ice, my chewable Centrum Vitamin, my chewable Calcium tab, and some flax seed oil. That gives me my fruit for the day, a great start on protein, and gobs of Vitamins and minerals. sugar free popsicles are a good staple to have at first just for having that hand to mouth activity and some sweetness.

Well, why don't we skip it tonight. I'm not in great health and dragging still, and everybody else seems to have flown the coop for this week. For whenever everybody gets back, anybody want to try some upscale restaurants sometime? Maybe quarterly, go someplace fancy?

I don't even think the people I know had any diagnostics done. Their fills kept disappearing so they switched to Omnipak. You might want to search this site for specific posts for Omnipak and see what you can learn....

Hey Jodie, if it does turn out that one of the problems is Bipolar...get ready. One of the first challenges will be that if the meds work, you'll feel fine and want to get off them. Seems to be hard for folks to remember that you'll be feel better because you're on the meds. It's a common challenge. The other one that happens a lot is feeling like life is a bit boring when the meds help settle life down.

I know quite a few people with leaks who have just had their fills done with Omnipak and have been fine. Might be worth a try before surgery! Omnipack is just a much thicker fill.

I haven't been to Black Eyed Pea for awhile. That, or anything, would be fine with me.

I used a straw for the first 3 months, until anotherbanster told me not to. I've been without one since then. I'm beginning to believe that after becoming an experienced bandster, you can tell for yourself what is wise and what isn't, but it's probably good to be pretty strict about things until you are restricted and experienced with your restriction.

I also want to address a concern Jodie had awhile back, that threads she starts for support always end up as a "Jodie's crazy" thread. I imagine that gets pretty frustrating. I think the reason that happens is that the stuff you put in this and your other threads is way out there, and I'm not sure how much you recognize that. The responses about getting help are just that....responding to someone whose life is chaotic and sounds painful. Please consider the way people respond to you as a mirror others hold up so you can see your own reflection and decide what to do about it. It's not feedback toward you that's coming out of the blue. It's about the things you say that lead us all to hope you will get help and stick with it. If you're lost in the woods and have no idea how to get out, you don't rely on yourself to lead the way...you ask someone who isn't lost.

I gotta say my 2 cents. I think we need to be careful about recommending things. Regarding dumping toxic Mom, I'm assuming none of us know Jodie or her Mom in real life. Parents are a mixed blessing in this situation, and while it may be that Jodie needs to split, it may also be that Jodie would benefit from staying where she is and getting some help before she goes back out on her own. We can support, but jumping to conclusions that can powerfully impact a life we hardly know seems a bit much.

There are AA groups just about everywhere, and if that doesn't seem like a fit, there are support groups for other issues as well, including for bipolar. There are also county mental health offices in each county that can tell you what services are available. And there are rape crisis centers that keep information confidential. FYI: There are usually more services paid for for BP and depression than for Borderline PD, and insurance if you have it usually covers more for BP. I know this is frustrating, but it's not at all unusual to have a Borderline Personality Disorder and then have other diagnoses as well. BPD truly does seem to "borderline" the symptoms of other problems. All of which is to say that seeking help on a variety of fronts is probably a good use of your time while you are in transition. You could probably get a lot of work done and over with before you head back to pursue your law career, and that would be time well spent. It would also give you some goals for your time while you are with your folks. Best wishes to you, Jody.

Hmm I get the hint but don't know the people by name. I used to know some folks by first name only. I'll drive by and see if the place registers anything for me. Glad you got it sold!

I think my rheumy is working on her bandster comedy schtick. Won't be surprised to see her doing stand up. I suppose dealing with chronically sick people, you have to do something to entertain yourself and your patients. Anyway, she was sure right about me! I really was surprised about the low blood sugar....It's probably worth having it checked periodically during this process. Barbara-are you still PBing when you try to eat? Are hot liquids helping at all, or the time of day? Hope you can still get your water down. Great to hear from you, Lana! And congrats on your house! OK...I'll bite. Vantage View is a tiny street, so I'm open for a hint.... Although it's been awhile since I've been there. Do a hint either on their name or the looks of their VV house.... Are we all eating together Monday? I had another thought...How about Soup & Salad so Barbara can maybe have a soup?

Oh start laughing now! I went to my rheumatologist to get the results of my blood tests, since I'm feeling bad. #1 was a surprise. #2 was not. 1. I have gone from a pill taking diabetic to a not needing a pill diabetic. NOW I appear to have such low blood sugar that I have to start thinking like a hypogyycemic to get my blood sugar above 40! I asked her what I should to about it and she said, "EAT SOMETHING!!!!" Then it started. I laughed through the whole thing. Here's what she said, as best as I can quote it... I know you people. I've had enough of you lap banders in here that I'm starting to get it. When you feel sick and you know you are very restricted when sick, you should get a slight unfill. But you people won't DO it, will you? Noooooooo! You people don't WAN'T to be able to eat more. You'd rather not be able to get enough nutrition in to sustain you, and then your body cries out for food, and so you eat ice cream because it goes down easily, don't you! So then your blood sugar goes up, and then crashes, so you eat more easy stuff, right? So your meals are small but you don't lose much weight...am I right or am I right! Unfortunately, she absolutely nailed my behavior when I'm sick. So I have to eat a cube of cheese or a half dozen nuts or a green salad every 1.5-2 hours between meals. I know she's right..... But it was a great and dramatic show. 2. My Lupus is totally out of control. So I have to go back on the heavy duty meds for a week, which prompted this exchange.... Dr: You should have come to me earlier when you felt this bad, but noooo...you're too busy with your lap band. You're paying attention to calories instead of this total decline in your health. Me: I might not have needed the band if you hadn't give me all those meds that make me gain weight. Dr: It's not my fault you got Lupus and didn't want to die. Anyway, I really like our relationship. She's developing a good sarcastic routine about us bandsters.

Oh start laughing now! I went to my rheumatologist to get the results of my blood tests, since I'm feeling bad. #1 was a surprise. #2 was not. 1. I have gone from a pill taking diabetic to a not needing a pill diabetic. NOW I appear to have such low blood sugar that I have to start thinking like a hypogyycemic to get my blood sugar above 40! I asked her what I should to about it and she said, "EAT SOMETHING!!!!" Then it started. I laughed through the whole thing. Here's what she said, as best as I can quote it... I know you people. I've had enough of you lap banders in here that I'm starting to get it. When you feel sick and you know you are very restricted when sick, you should get a slight unfill. But you people won't DO it, will you? Noooooooo! You people don't WAN'T to be able to eat more. You'd rather not be able to get enough nutrition in to sustain you, and then your body cries out for food, and so you eat ice cream because it goes down easily, don't you! So then your blood sugar goes up, and then crashes, so you eat more easy stuff, right? So your meals are small but you don't lose much weight...am I right or am I right! Unfortunately, she absolutely nailed my behavior when I'm sick. So I have to eat a cube of cheese or a half dozen nuts or a green salad every 1.5-2 hours between meals. I know she's right..... But it was a great and dramatic show. 2. My Lupus is totally out of control. So I have to go back on the heavy duty meds for a week, which prompted this exchange.... Dr: You should have come to me earlier when you felt this bad, but noooo...you're too busy with your lap band. You're paying attention to calories instead of this total decline in your health. Me: I might not have needed the band if you hadn't give me all those meds that make me gain weight. Dr: It's not my fault you got Lupus and didn't want to die. Anyway, I really like our relationship. She's developing a good sarcastic routine about us bandsters.

Does anyone here belong to consumerlab.com? I'm trying to find out which chewable multivitamin tests best.

Does anybody here belong to consumerlab.com? I'm trying to find out if they have tested chewable multi vitamins and which ones test as good.

Hmmm. That's an interesting idea. Our gang has assorted commitments that we made individually, so we haven't worked out together. Several of us go to health clubs, one Jazzercises, one does Tai Chi and several others are toying with it. Congrats on your banding and your weight loss! Come join us for dinner. I think we're meeting this coming Monday at 6:15PM, but I don't know where. Anybody want to go to Tai Li in Atascocita?

I just saw someone who has an exercise ticker. I'm going to go put one under my weight loss ticker. Nice idea for accountability..... Here goes.