marjon9

I've seen this question discussed before, and what I remember people saying is, first of all, you need to lose a lot of weight before the apnea situation really changes. It's not a pound by pound type of thing. Each person is different, but I would say if you have lost a large portion of your "excess" weight, it's probably time to think about changing the CPAP or maybe even putting it aside. I found the procedure for changing my CPAP posted on the internet. You may be able to find that procedure for yours as well. Check out CPAP Talk forum. You may well be able to find your adjustment procedure posted. It is actually pretty simple if you have the procedure. When the time comes when I am ready to think about this, I'm going to start experimenting with lower pressure. If I feel like it might be time to put the CPAP aside completely, I'll try and get some reports from my wife whether I still stop breathing again, or whether the snoring has returned. (If the snoring has returned, I'm sure I'll hear about that even if I don't ask). I think it is a little bit of a trial and error type of thing. I think you can do it yourself that way because, even though sleep apnea is very serious, I don't think it is that dangerous to miss a night with the CPAP, or have the wrong pressure for a night or two. When the time comes when you are considering putting aside the CPAP completely, that is probably something to talk over with the doctor. A final sleep study may be in order. But then again, I think that sleep apnea is something that you can feel to a large degree. If you feel like you are sleeping well without the CPAP, and you have lost a lot of weight, in my opinion you can probably act on that without a great risk to your health. These are just my opinions, of course. But that is the approach I plan to take.

I watched a few episodes of the Teletubbies to see what all the commotion was about and, I have to be honest with you, David Hasselhoff started looking pretty good to me.

There is an active thread about the good doctor going right now, search for Kirshenbaum and you'll find it right away. That would be a good place to start. Lots of info there, and people to talk to.

I have venom for you because of your relentless portrayal of pro-choice people as satanic monsters without a shred of human decency. "Abortionsists and Baby Killers. You claim to have compassion for women who make the difficult choice to have an abortion, but your words show your true feelings. The fact is, pro-choice people are 99% just like you. They care about babies, they understand the issues and think deeply about them. The only difference is the 1% where they tip to the other side of a very difficult issue. You clearly do not understand that. You give lip service to how "mother and baby are both precious," but what you mean is that "pro-life mothers and their babies" are precious. Pro-choice women, in contrast, are satanic, heartless monster baby killers who are only borderline human in the first place. Just look at some of what you write on this topic. Maybe if you re-read some of it you will have a moment of lucidity and see what I mean. But yes, you are right, I have venom for you. And that is why.

Yeah, my wife is the one who noticed that I stopped breathing. She said that sometimes I stopped breathing for 30 seconds at a time, and woke up gasping. And the amazing thing is, I resisted going to the doctor about it for quite a while. Scary. She finally talked me into it.

It's bad news in sense to learn that you have sleep apnea, but it is also something to celebrate. I can't begin to tell you how much better I felt after I started sleeping with a CPAP. I did not even know why I was tired all time, and why my heart was having irregular beats, etc. Once I got the CPAP I started feeling much better almost immediately. I don't know what your symptoms are but if they are anything like mine, getting a diagnosis of sleep apnea is reason to celebrate. There's a real chance that your quality of life can improve a lot in the near future.

Based on the world you choose to live in and the people you choose to associate with it is not hard to believe that you have run across women who have suffered after an abortion. People usually find what they are looking for. But aside from that, I have no doubt that there are, indeed, many women who suffer after abortions. My heart goes out to them. What I fail to understand is why this fact gives you the right to legislate away the right of other women to make that choice if they want to. Are you their parent or guardian? Is it your job to protect women from this even if they don't want your protection? I know, I know, your goal is to protect the baby. But if that is true, what difference does it make if the women suffer? What do you care whether they suffer or not? You don't really care about them, you care about the baby. If you truly cared about the women, you'd let them live their own lives without your interference. That is why this issue of the women suffering after abortions is a red herring. That is none of your business what suffering other women choose if they want to. You have no business concerning yourself with that. The thing that you fail to understand is that pro-choice individuals are not heartless wanton gleeful baby killers who can't wait to have the next late-term abortion in order to have the opportunity to proclaim their radical feminist political point. When you use terms like "abortionist" to describe pro-choice individuals that is exactly what you are implying. Indeed, you do much more than imply that, you regularly describe pro-choice individuals as "baby killers." What your allegely compassionate, Christian little heart seems unwilling to contemplate is that the overwhelming majority of pro-choice individuals care very deeply about the issue, understand the issue well and yes, many even suffer greatly over it. They are not in the least wanton, heartless baby killers. But they are people who believe that even in the face of these serious issues they need to make a choice to end pregnancy. You do not have the right to take that choice away from them.

That is great kadrian. Congratulations. I do so hope I am wrong about this.

That's the silver lining. And maybe it can help Lucy to not feel too bad about NPR and Ralph Reed. When NPR does this, thousands more people learn the truth and get angry. It can be a good thing.

Cajun, I do sympathize with your pain, but it sounds to me like you do need to take a little bit of a reality check right now. You are 28 years old, over 400 pounds, and addicted to food. It sounds to me like you are currently facing what amounts to a life and death struggle that really overshadows boyfriends and Disney World. In fact, I have serious doubts whether the lap band is the right answer for you. The band is nothing but a belt around your stomach. It does nothing else. It does not change your head, or eliminate your addiction to food. If you overeat with the band you can seriously harm yourself. In fact, with a BMI as high as yours, I doubt if insurance would be willing to cover the lap band. Many doctors would refuse to do it because there is too great a risk that you would hurt yourself overeating with the band. You talk about how your boyfriend "doesn't understand how hard it is to be over 400 pounds and addicted to food." From the sound of things, you are blaming him, and not taking responsibility yourself for your own situation. A few weeks ago people on this forum were talking about a T-shirt that was for sale that said "Why won't somebody do something about how fat I am?" It's a funny t-shirt, but it is also a little scary. It sounds like that is sort of like what you are saying. Like the problem here is what somebody else is and is not doing. But Cajun, that's not the problem. It's up to you to do something about this, not your boyfriend. If you "go grab some chips and stuff your mouth" it is not your boyfriend's fault. It's your choice, your life, your responsibility. I'm scared for you, Cajun. You are in a situation that is a grave risk to your health. It would be very, very difficult for you to find a path back to health even if you understood that it was your responsibility to find that path. But if you blame other people for your problems, and don't understand that this is your problem, and your responsibility, I am afraid that it will be almost impossible for your to find a path out of your prison. If I were you, I would forget about boyfriends and Disney World, and just devote your entire life to finding a way to save yourself. Being 28 and 400 pounds with a BMI of 66 is gravely serious. I hope you find a way back. My heart goes out to you.

Some very good points there.

By the way, I just noticed that my last post to you was my post #666. Coincidence? Maybe not. You should probably disregard everything I said. :biggrin1: :hungry: :heh:

You have good questions but they are awfully broad for one post. Sort of like Banding 101: Past Present and Future. The best thing you can do is spend time reading and searching on this forum. Your questions have been discussed quite a bit before, and you can get a lot of good information. I'll add a couple brief responses. A BMI of 31 is pretty low for banding. It's not that you are "weak." There are too many reasons for being obese to just pin it all on personal weakness. The more pertinent question is, with a relatively small amount of weight to lose, does the risk-benefit analysis may start to shift away from banding. There are some risks to banding, and the usual line we have here is: Whatever the risks are, the risk you are taking by not losing weight is much greater due to heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. But in your case, this may not be true. It may not necessarily be in your best interest to get banded, from a strictly health perspective. And by the way, there are options for self-pay that are much lower than $24K. You should easily be able to get it done for half that or less. Check out some of the threads relating to affordable cost and you'll find good info. Still, people in your BMI range have gotten banded. You might want to check out a thread on here called "Lower BMI Bandsters." or something like that. I bet these issues have been discussed a lot. As for life being food-centric, I think that is true for most of us, fat or thin. When the band is working perfectly and you are in control of your situation and working with the band instead of against it, it is possible to enjoy most foods and participate in all the food oriented festivities. You just need to eat much smaller portions. If you have a habit of going out with your buddies for steak, and they are used to seeing you eat a 64 oz porterhouse, and all of a sudden, you are full after 4 oz, there is going to be some 'splainin' to do on one level or another. You can create a cover story, like, you are on a diet, or just tell all, or whatever. But it may be that friends and family will notice that your habits are changing. But that does not mean that you can't still participate in holidays and social life, etc. The bottom line is, life with the band is not about a lifetime of unfulfilled cravings and deprivation. The band is just a tool to help you get full and stay full on much smaller portions. Shortly after surgery, while you are healing, you may experience hunger for a few weeks. But once you are "up and running" with the band, you should not experience much hunger. So, this is just a small introduction. There is so much more to discuss, and so many other points of view from other people. If I were you, I would just start digging into past threads, and use the search function. And, this is not a criticism, but just a suggestion: when you do ask questions on the forum, try taking smaller bites. That way you can get more complete answers to specific questions. Good luck sorting it all out.

I have not!! Oh, sorry, you mean LBT. Never mind.

Mexico has worked out great for a lot of people. On a previous poll I think I saw that more than half the members of the forum went to Mexico. But just so you have more options to think about, I want to mention that my doc is just a little bit more, and he works in Denver. You can find a link to his office in my signature. Sometimes it can be difficult to find aftercare of you have had your band surgery in Mexico. For some people, this has been a serious issue. It's just something to think about before you choose your surgeon. And no matter what surgeon you use, anywhere, it is good to check into aftercare options in your local area before you have the surgery. If you live in a small town, you may find that this is a serious issue. You don't want to have to drive 500 miles to get a fill. But if you think of these things and check it out, I am sure there are good solutions no matter which doctor you choose, so I think it will all work out.

Neal is one of the more kind-hearted fellows you are going to run across. I appreciate that as well.

You should spend some time reading this forum on this particular question. Run some searches like "second thoughts." You'll see that most people have second thoughts before the surgery. Very few people avoid that phase. Regarding your food questions, it's not that bad at all. Most people find that they can eat most normal foods, just in smaller portions. But the smaller portions is not based on "willpower," it is just that you get full much quicker. Depending on your doctor's post-op plan, you'll be on "normal" foods about 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. Many people also find that there are certain things they "can't eat." Some people can't eat bread, or fish, or chicken, etc. You'll find what works for you. But if you "can't eat" something, you'll find for the most part that you really just don't want it anymore. Another thing that has come up a lot is how to avoid letting people know if you want to keep the surgery private. I managed to get the whole thing done without anyone at work knowing about it. I recommend that approach, but then, I'm a private person like you. But try to find threads on this forum where people have discussed how to attend parties and social events and what to say so you can keep things private. The last thing I want to mention is that it's not really about "re-educating" your tastes. Once you get the band, most people find that they just start to prefer different things. You have to battle cravings a bit, but not nearly as much as you would think looking at the bandster menus. Mostly, you just eat less because you get full faster. Being hungry all the time is not what the band is all about. There may be some of that feeling in the few weeks you are on the post-op diet. But in general, you just get full faster. Don't rush into the band if you are not ready. But just know that most people have the feelings you are having. Once you get the band you will have to work at it a bit. If you just drink McDonald's milkshakes all day you can find a way to gain weight even if you have the band. But in general, the band is not about suffering and deprivation. It's there so you can control your food intake without having to feel the deprivation.

I think when people talk about using abortion as a form of birth control what they mean is, to consciously decide, in advance of getting pregnant, to use abortion as the only form of birth control. If a woman uses other forms of birth control and they don't work for whatever reason and she has an abortion, you could say that she is using abortion as a "form of birth control," but it is a decision made after the fact. That is quite different from using abortion as your only form of birth control. Whatever your position on abortion, I still think that this is a distinction that makes a difference. I think very, very few women, even those who are pro choice, would recommend deciding in advance of getting pregnant to rely on abortion as your only form of birth control (I know, someone will post an article about how three liberal feminists recommended relying on abortion, but that is obviously not what I'm talking about. Relying on abortion as the only form of birth control is out of the mainstream, and recommended by very few people, whether they are pro-choice or not.)

I've done it, I'm sure many people have. I don't think there is anything wrong with it at all. I once even heard Julia Child recommend it as an option for people on a diet so they could still taste great food. It can help you get through the mushies phase. Concerning whether you still absorb calories, I'm sure you do to some extent. But this is not that big a concern on liquids and mushies. When you are in those phases it's usually about healing more than losing weight. And whether you absorb calories also depends on what you are eating, how long you chew it, and whether you really spit it "all" out. If you chew a chocolate chip cookie for 15 minutes, there is probably not going to be that much to spit out. On the other hand, if you chew a piece of steak for a couple minutes and spit it out, then you probably get rid of most of it. You stated in your post that you have a really "bad" habit and that you are worried that you are doing yourself some "damage." I would stop thinking of it like that. I don't see what damage you could be causing, except perhaps a small dent in your food bill. It's not like you are eating and then vomiting. That can hurt your band and cause other problems. Chewing and then spitting it out is actually a pretty "good" habit in a lot of ways.

Hi Eddie. I certainly remember my days just before surgery. Like you I knew there was little to be concerned about in fact, but was still nervous anyway. I just think it goes with the territory. All you can do at this point is hold your breath and jump in. Besides that, remind yourself of why you are doing this and how your health could be seriously affected in the future if you don't do it. Feel good about yourself for taking a courageous step to be healthier and have a better life. You deserve to feel proud of yourself for taking that step. In a very short time, it will all be over. There may be some pain after surgery but for most people it only lasts a few days. In a short time, you'll be back to normal and on the Bandster Path. Let us know how it goes!

Yeah, this type of thing would be a headache for the tech person. Thanks Alex for trying to figure it out.

I don't mean to act like a scolding school teacher, but the mask thing is really important. The CPAP will never work without a mask that works for you. And this is a problem with a lot of potential solutions. Now, put on this pointy hat on and go stand in the corner.

I found it on mine. It lets you exclude whole forums. My understanding was that people wanted to exclude specific threads, as opposed to whole forums such as "Rants and Raves." But either way is fine with me. For myself I'm not inclined to exclude anything.

Or, maybe not.

The last time I had a technician come out I said to him "I sure wish there was a way to adjust the machine ourselves." He got a slightly guilty twinkle in his eye, looked both ways, and then told me "You can find the procedure for adjusting most CPAPs on the internet." I found mine posted by someone on the CPAP Talk forum. And I used it right away. The last person who tested me on the sleep study somehow concluded that I needed a setting of 16. WRONG!! At 16 I felt like a balloon with the air coming out flying around the room. I am much more comfortable at 10. So, if you can live with the guilt, wink wink, you can probably find out how to adjust your machine on the net. If all else fails, post a question on CPAP Talk forum: "Can someone please tell me how to adjust a xxxxxxxx model machine."