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cool! I am apparently in need of some oxytocin. If you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, it's that bonding hormone that women release when they're getting support from each other. It calms down your stress reactivity, etc.

You know guys, this is turning into a bit of a bash session and I don't think that helps anyone in the long run. Just as the band itself is adjustable, there are many different ways to approach living with it and many paths to success in losing weight with it. Jachut's approach has been to keep restriction light, eat well and throw herself into exercise to compensate for the higher calorie intake. Wasa's approach has been to keep restriction tight, eat 600 cal a day and exercise too. Both have done well and have lost weight successfully, but that's not the only possible approach. There's no doubt that fewer calories + more exercise = fast weight loss, but some of us prefer to take our time and get to our goals in a little more leisurely fashion. While Jachut is my personal band-hero and I admire Wasa's success, I'm not following either of them faithfully on every point. Personally, I can't see myself ever running a marathon, whether it was for pleasure or hating every minute of it but doing it for the benefits. I couldn't bear to live on 600 cal a day and I chose the band BECAUSE I didn't want to spend the rest of my life dieting or on an extremely restricted calorie regime. I try not to "diet" but focus on healthy eating, exercise sporadically but am finding I can increase it as I get more fit. I'm not going to win any speed races in losing the most weight in the shortest space of time. I plan to take at least 18 months to get to goal and at my current pace, I'm right on target for that. That doesn't mean that Jachut's or Wasa's or my approach is the right one for everyone. Each of us needs to work out for ourselves how this band works best for us. Now Brandy had an unfortunate start to her bandlife. For whatever reason, she was unaware that the band wouldn't help her limit her intake of slider foods and and struggled to find the right balance for her between restriction, food choices and exercise. She knows better now and is trying to find a pace that suits her. She knows her own mind and has stated that focussing directly upon diet and exercise causes her to become obssessed and then rebellious and she defeats her own efforts with that approach. Fine, I can relate - say the word "diet" to me and my immediate reaction is "Oh my god, where's the chocolate!!" If she feels that she will get better results by NOT triggering those reactive emotions in herself, then good luck to her. My advice to you, Brandy (and remember it is only advice, take it or leave it as you will), is to chill out a little and stop stressing about calories, diet or "focussing" on anything. Keep restriction light, aim to eat good healthy food, and let the band do it's job in helping you to not feel hungry all the time. Don't forbid yourself anything, because you know that will only make you crave it all the more, but keep in mind that it was the junk that got you to where you are now. A little treat now and then is good for the soul; icecream, chips and chocolate every day is not going to get you to goal. When you are not hungry, because you've been filling up on good quality food, it's easier to make good choices and limit the treats to the occasional small one instead of binging. Exercise when you can - look for easy ways to start this, rather than throw yourself into a strenuous routine that you can't sustain. Use little tricks like taking the furtherest carpark space at the shopping centre, instead of the closest, using the stairs instead of the elevator when it's only 1 or 2 flights up. As you get fitter, increase this at a pace that suits you. You won't see the pounds melt away with this approach. Accept that and embrace it. They WILL drift away slowly, a pound here and there, and that will add up over time. As you see it start to go, you might find that you become more motivated and want to put more effort into dropping the weight faster - you can do that too! It's all up to you and your choice. Take the examples of everyone in here and find the bits that fit with your own personality. Work out what works for you and change it to suit your needs, when it feels right for you. Good luck with your journey!

yes, you can rub coconut oil on them as your described them! It is a natural antibiotic, hypo-allergenic, and promotes healing of all kinds.... I was rubbing coconut oil on them 4 days after surgery..... just do it 2-3 times per day if you can.... also eating coconut oil can contribute to the healing as well... work your way up to 3 tablespoons per day... you have to work your way up as it can be cleansing to some people and you may get some stomach aches and loose stools with too much intake initially.... it won't hurt you, just cleansing, but can be uncomfortable.... starting with one tablespoon for 3-4 days then increasing it .... it is truly amazing stuff... don't use it if you are allergic to coconut though.... not too many are, but some may be. Any more questions, let me know! Kammi in Everett, WA

Honey congrats on the amt. of weight that u did loose.. U have to realize that most people get more than 3-fills in a year after time goes on the fill evaporates over that much time... Make an appointment and go get another fill... U can do this u already have the tool inside u just have to reactivate it... :incazzato:

I believe there are Protein powders you can mix with fruit juices ? Also it does not have the MOST protein in it ,,, i am not sure if there is any dairy in the mix itself. you might try Carnation instant Breakfast mix. Anything "Whey" will have dairy in them . So careful with that. Check out "Celiac Forums" for Celiacs disease . They have to stay away from dairy . Just did a quick search and found these .. Protein from Rice, powder, Dairy Free, Vegetarian / Vegan, Hypo Allergenic, Plain - 1 lb. 5 oz. Go Dairy Free | beverages - smoothies & Mixes If you find a mix you can mix it with Lactose free milk could you not ? Can you drink that ? If you have a whole foods near you they should have tons of info or stuff. HTH mindy PS I just googled " Dairy Free Protein Mix" and came up w/ quite a bit Mindy

mary it sounds like you went into a hypo glycemic shock ....were you a diabetic before this ?you should start carrying some hard candies to suck on but becareful if you feel faint dont suck on it there is stuff called glucose that is a thick liquid you can but under your tounge and it will disolve you wont chock on it .... dr the dr check your sugar ..

I am one of ones here that can honestly remember being both skinny at 5'9" 112 pounds---I was skin and bones, not much muscle---just skinny. It was not intentional---it is how I was. I ate everything in sight, and never gained an ounce. I fought like crazy to gain up to 123 pounds so my wedding gown fit! Then I had a baby---and for the first time ever I gained weight. I went home in jeans I wore before the baby. But it soon ended! When I stopped nursing, I was hospitalized for a mastitis infection that hit my blood stream and caused sepsis---I gained 80 pounds in 3 months time! Seriously! I was not eating different. It was extreme! From there I went through bad marriage, abuse, and more serious weight gain! Ironically---some of it totally intentional! (shaking head at self here!!!) Before long, the weight was totally out of control. I could lose pretty well, but it would not stay off. Then it got to where losing so much as a pound took weeks of HARD work---and even then any semblence of normalcy and it come back! I found myself facing very close to 300 pounds, and being morbidly obese. In the time since being banded, I have had to have most of my thyroid removed, and in the medical processes for that, I learned that the inability to gain when I was younger was my first sign of thyroid trouble----and the hormone change of pregnancy, and sudden cessation of nursing, flipped the switch he said from hypo- to hyper thyroidism. Not an excuse, but an explanation---it was pretty scary to be young and out of control like that. But with no insurance, I had no real options for figuring things out. Both extremes, as well as the years I spent in the middle, at a normal weight are both well in my mind, and I can say without a doubt....no questions ask--------morbid obesity brought with it much, much more personal heartache, peoples cruel comments, and open disgust from not only yourself, but even medical personel! I do remember being told I needed to gain a few pounds--by assorted relatives I seldom saw and a Dr. None of which saw me eat! More people by far were envious of how I could eat without consequences---and for the most part I ate healthy enough, just more than you would imagine for remaining so bony! My hip bones jutted out so far, I would have to sew the front pockets of my jeans closed, because the white pocket was forced out and showed! I could have ---not based on looks, but on build---beenon any magazine cover with todays stars....I was EXTREMELY thin---I referred to myself as skinny. The word did not bother me then, nor does it now. None of it compares to morbid obesity. I do not mean to be argumentive Jachut----but as I went up the scale--it got worse the higher I got. The heavier I got, the more invisible I got to parts of society, and the more others thought they could say hateful things without issue! Every single thing you have health wise, is an easy call for a Dr. It is all due to your weight! Until you have felt/heard others talk about you based on nothing but your weight...had a room fall silent when you walked in, simply because they were staring, then jerking their heads away---seen them share looks with who they were with--or been "mooed" at, (and these just a few among many, many ways people find to be cruel) morbid obesity has not touched your life. These did not all happen to me, but I have read about them right here at LBT. I have read the pain involved in each of the situations---and experienced similar things personally, or similar enough situations to know the shame, the hurt, and even the anger they invoked. Should I have gotten control much earlier, of course! I am willing to bet most of us by far wish we had found help before reaching the morbidly obese category. For many of us it didn't come until further down the path of obesity though. Depression, lack of funds, lack of availability all figure into the issue--but having seen and lived from one end of the spectrum to the other----I do believe that unless one has lived and experienced morbid obesity, it is hard to understand or explain. I also believe it is hard to explain to someone in that position (obesity in general) how much better life is, or how much better they will FEEL---at a normal healthy weight. I am quite sure it is difficult for both to see or understand the other --obese vs. thin- without ever walking in those shoes. I think we all want to be accepted where we are--not just at where we want to be. Whether we all strive to be a perfect BMI, or if we are happy elsewhere, if we are working hard where we are, or if we have arrived at goal, and are thrilled with the newfound freedoms of not trying to lose weight still, we all just want to be accepted and have our efforts recognized. Belittling one another, whichever direction it goes is really kind of sad, and usually indicates an unhappiness in ourselves. My experiences show that people usually tear others down in an effort to build themselves up. Maybe the next LBT banner needs to be our own Dove commercial---but without me!!!! LOL Kat

LMFAO, these are bringing back memories. Remember Hypo or Hyper shirts? I vcant remember what they were called but the heat from your hands or pits or something changed the color of the shirt. Like a mood shirt. Good times.....good times....

Hi there... I am type 2 diabetic. The symptoms you describe sound like beginnings of a "hypo" which happens when your blood sugar drops too low. If you are not getting carbs, this is entirely possible if you are prone to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Before the surgery you may have always had enough carbs so that you never reached the point of feeling symptoms. Best to see your doctor to be on the safe side.

Where is that statistic? Geez, I'm gonna get the meanie award I know it but your port coming out of your skin WAS YOUR FAULT! You need to address an infection ASAP...no matter what the cost. I do not know the makeup of the band but in other implants.....we use silicone, titanium, silastic tubing,silk, nylon etc all NON REACTIVE to MOST people. There have been people who rejected knees/hips. Hell, I know people whose teeth won't hold a filling. This is your lot in life. It sucks yes. And I KNOW I would be infuriated reading replies here....its the nature of the beast. The beast being text on a screen without voice, tone and inflection. B U T, you posted here....I assume you wanted to have this conversation. One of the replies suggested you make a blog....that's a great idea...you can go on and on and no one will bother you. you can disable comments if you so choose.

Welcome Roxie. All of us have our reasons for being slow losers. If all the medical options are ruled out such as "hypo thyroid" then I suggest you track everything you put in your mouth. For instance, I cook by tasting. Amazing how many calories go down the tube. Also, try not to equate exercise with losing weight. Exercise is great cardio, muscle building etc. but to lose weight you still have to consume less than you take in. Exercise does consume calories and is part of the equation but not the only one. I can't exercise very much, but still have managed to loose one or two pounds a month. The other thing is to assess your "head hunger". Do you have any? Do you give in to it? What are the rewards you give yourself, is it food or do you try a warm bath, etc. Just a few ideas. Certainly not the complete answer but to get you started back on side. Doddie

I have Reactive Arthritis and Osteoarthritis and take Azulfidine for it. I finally was able to get off prednisone Jan 25, 2008. I am getting banded April 23 and have been wondering if I can take the azulfidine without cutting or crushing it. (since it's enteric coated) Any thoughts?

When your hypothyroid, yours doesn't work.......... weight or no weight that doesn't change...... Diagnosed hypo at the tender age of 22.... I'm down 81 lbs size 24 to 12's! I LOVE MY BAND

Good news is that I don't have any stitches or staples. I did have steri-strips. I've since changed to band aids and have begun itching 5 days later. Do they make hypo band aids?

:crying: Hi, I have the same concern. People do have allergic reactions to nearly anything foreign put into their bodies as their immune system recognizes it as non self. These reactions can take several forms however an autoimmune reaction entailing stiff joints in the fingers similar to arthritis was experienced by myself from the "inert" mesh (made by the manufacurers of gortex) for a hernia repair. This and a low grade fever and the fact that the mesh never bonded to the repair and I ended up oozing out serous Fluid led my surgeon to remove it. Silicone has been the subject of much autoimmune scrutiny with auto immune reactions from breast implants etc. So I say buyer beware. Don't let anyone tell you silicone or mesh is non reactive. We are reactive. I am a nursing student also.

hey guys, I've been on thyroid medication for a few years now for being hypo. I had my bloodwork done a few days ago and the doc called me and said the numbers were thru the roof and to immediately stop taking my meds. He wants me to come in after about 4 weeks for another blood test, but he said he thinks I'm going to be able to stop the medication since I have lost so much weight!!

I've been banded for 2 weeks now and I'm having some problems with low blood sugar last couple of days. Been feeling kind of "out of it" and unable to concentrate so my formerly diabetic friend (she's had the gastric bypass) tested my blood and my sugar was in the 50's and it said that I was hypo-glycemic. This morning I was craving more ruffage and ate a bowl of Kashi high Protein Cereal with some plain soy milk & grapes. Up till this point I've been sticking to my post-surgery diet - Proteins, cooked vegies & fruits. Cereal (starches), even low sugar, wasn't suppose to be on that list. Still waiting for my Dr to contact me. Hypo-glycemia runs in my family. Anyone have any thoughts? Could I have made it worse by what I ate? :confused2:

All the bariatric surgeries have risks of complications, but to me the "rearranging" ones have the worst ones. Not just things like leakage of staple lines (which I think is pretty rare now) but things like reactive hypoglycemia, where after you've lost weight your blood sugar dips really low after you eat, like into the 30s. People lose consciousness, crash their cars, even have seizures. That isn't a very common complication but it is becoming more common as more people have the surgery. It seems like it happens mostly to people who were not diabetic preop, and their pancreas sort of overreacts. And it's just one example of many things that happen when you can't take in adequate nutrition. Good for you for sticking to your gut (lol) instinct on this! Just make sure that this doc is going to give you the support you need after you are banded--willing to give fills when needed, able to tell when you shouldn't have any more fill, and is open and available on a reasonable schedule. Some docs who push the RnY don't like how involved they have to be post op with the band. With RnY, once they do the surgery they are for the most part done having to deal with you. Best of luck and keep us updated on your progress!

I'm here too. I just got back about half an hour ago from seeing my surgeon. He took some of my fill out. I explained how I hadn't been able to get any food down for about 3 weeks now and that I could only get fluids down in the afternoon. Anything before that or after 9pm would just come straight back out again or have me up all night with reflux problems. So they removed .125ccs. Half of what I got at my last fill. I'm very happy with that. :woot: I'm not really looking forward to any appetite I may get as a result, but I know it's better for me to be able to get proper food and protein into my body. I'm on fluids for the next 2 days, the same procedure as after a fill, and then I can see how mushies go. I'm looking forward to getting back on track. It was wonderful to see the scale go down consistently, but I was miserable a lot of the time. Having the flu on top of it didn't help any. Rashes - thank you everyone for your suggestions. I'm going to try them ALL. I have always have sensitive skin. I use Dove soap and wash my clothes in hypo-allergenic liquids. Even when I'm careful I can still break out in an eczema rash without problem. I have a shelf in my bathroom cabinet dedicated to lotions and potions just for that. I've already tried most of them with my tummy rash, with mixed results. It doesn't hurt to have other methods to attack this with. Part of me wants to get rid of it yesterday, another part of me wants to use this with the insurance company to help with a TT approval. I think I'll time a visit to the doctor's between subsequent outbreaks just to keep things on record in case I need it. Shopping - well I went shopping this weekend. It's not a favorite activity of mine, but I was still excited because I was going to the normal section. :tt1: You were dead right Janet, there are SOOOOOOO many choices there. At least in the BBW section there are only 2 choices; clothes that fit and clothes that don't. When looking for jeans I was given choices of classic rise, low rise, lowest rise, straight, boot cut, flared, long, short, regular :eek: It was daunting! I started with a few different styles of 14s, none of them fit! :sad2: In a good way! They were all too big! :w00t: So I went down to 12s and some of them fit, some of them didn't. I made the insane decision to try on a pair of 10s They fit too! :w00t: I ended up buying 2 pairs of 12s and a pair of 10s. I was on top of the world. :biggrin2: I don't ever remember buying a pair of 10s. Not this century anyway. :cryin: So that's my latest NSV. :Yawn: There were other things I wanted to respond to, but kidzheimers has struck and I can't remember anymore. I need to fix dinner and I'll come back and read through the thread again to jog my forgettory and get back later this evening. Thanks for all they help you guys in getting me to where I am today. Yes, it's your fault as much as mine that I'm feeling this good.

Kel----maybe start throwing him a line now!!!! Let him know you loved that attention so he knows to give it to you! My man will do anything for me, but sometimes he does need directed---as do I!!! Let him know he is YOUR choice, but to be on his arm and being ogled by other men is not a bad thing in your eyes! Let him know as the new you emerges, he can be free-er (even a word??) to treat you like a new you! This can make your marriage incredible (I know!) or it could as you fear cause problems. I always tell my kids this----so even though you are older than they are--I'll do my MAMA routine!!! BE PROACTIVE----------NOT REACTIVE!!!!! Work on it now, prepare it rather than working later to repair it!! Good men (or women) are really hard to find, and I would hate to see yours hurt by you getting healthy and just wanting to be appreciated for something new! Good Luck! Kat

"Bottom line there is not a "easy" solution no matter what you do" I'm truly hoping that you didn't mean to suggest that those who get banded assume they've found an "easy" solution to their weight problem. The people here who've had success have worked their weight off. I have hypothyroidism. I have been taking medication for it since, oh, the early '90s. My level gets checked twice a year, and it's been stable for as long as I can remember. I've successfully lost over 100 pounds, so hypos can succeed at weight loss. (The only problem was me gaining the weight back by overeating high calorie foods and stopping my exercise program.) You are making a really strong statement to us about our personal health choices, but you also state "I'll take what I can get" when it comes to your own doctor and treatment. You "know more than any nutritionist", but have you consulted more than the one that disappointed you? I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but my own experiences and the faith I have in my own decisions will guide me.

I believe that there is a difference between beatings and spankings. Though I do not know whether I would personally be comfortable, notionally speaking, with spanking a child or any other creature, I also know that I have given my cats a smack when they have lovingly sunk their teeth into my flesh. Now, smacking a cat is not a good way to train it (it only engenders fear in the animal) but my actions were always purely a knee-jerk response. Fortunately the animals were sufficiently comfortable of my goodwill that they easily got over it. There was never any sign of a neurotic aftermath. In just such a way I can easily understand a terrified parent swatting a young child after the kid has broken a cardinal rule and has narrowly missed a major disaster. Under the new and Draconian legislation these parents can be and sometimes will be charged with child brutality. I believe that children, just like my cats - creatures which rank far, far lower in the arena of intelligence and sensibility - are also able to easily differentiate between the reactive smack of a terrified but loving parent and the blunt brutality which arises from family dysfunction. Beatings are wrong. Any display of brutality towards a child, be it physical or psychological, is wrong. A smack, well, that may well fall into another category. And as for my street cred, well, here it is: my father was beaten as a child. We were never, ever physically touched but we were psychologically beaten. This was, I feel, much worse. It leaves the child confused as to the nature and the extent of his or her injuries.

Without a doubt, if you choose to go to a Dr. outside the US, make your arrangements ahead of time. Not all surgeons in Mexico are out to screw you over, same as not all in the US are upstanding! So with that in mind, plan accordingly. My Mexican surgeon insisted before he banded me that I have follow up care closer to me. He helped me arrange that with the surgeon I would have used had insurance come through---he has done my fills without issue of my being banded in Mexico. Many will simply because that is where they were proctored in the procedure. Where I live there is no close Dr. dealing with bands, so even the one I found and use is over 6 hours away one way. So my surgeon also ask me to contact my local ER and find out about emergency unfills. They would not even talk to me, they did not refuse, they just blanket stated they could handle it. Well I knew from this board that is not always true. So I contacted my former oncologist, and they are adept at accessing ports, and he agreed to both speak with my surgeon in Mexico and provide an emergency unfill should I ever need it. Taking off blindly to have surgery with no details for aftercare is not something anyone should do....but it can be dealt with responsibly. One of my surgeons things he does is the morning you leave the hospital, you have a swallow test done under fluoro, so you get to see your band in place and working---and he gives you a copy of those X rays---for you to have if you go to another Dr. Some surgeons or Dr.s will see no one other than patients they have done. That includes patients banded in the US that have moved. So you do need to do some prep work before hand. My mantra to my kids was always to be proactive rather than reactive----it fits here too! Kat

Hey girls----Happy 2008 to you all! We had a blast! Saw lots of old friends, and danced the night away! Rick is sometimes a bit iffy about dancing, but he told me "I thought this is what you wanted to do" and we danced all night. Sometimes I forget how much I love snuggling close to him and looking into his eyes! I too had a bit too much to drink----enough that the bright white of the monitor kept me away from the computer all day!!! And my grandson come over today, and threw a wall eyed fit, and ended up making himself throw up----that almost had me joining him!!! Now I feel pretty good, but it is going to be an early night, we were up til early morning! All day long though, we look at each other and say what a good time we had! Sorry Denise and Laura--hate that you are sick!!! Sounds to me like a virus Denise...I have never heard of the band causing bowel issues once the liquid in - liquid out phase. Michelle you looked beautiful! Well you always do, but you glowed, as you should have with limo's and ball gowns!!! Me I wore jeans!!! Tight jeans! Jeans that felt like I looked good in them! And a silky black/white/gold print top, with a black lace border, and a deep V neck, and black boots. I have to say it was a night of NSV's. I saw people I hadn't seen in awhile, the compliments were ego boosting for sure! But the biggest thing I noticed, was dancing with Rick, he would rub his hand up my back, and I didn't flinch thinking he was feeling the fat rolls. Instead I felt sleek in the top! And he would wrap his arms around me for a kiss following the dance, and I felt like I fit in there---custom made---didn't feel like he was stretching to get his arms around me anymore. I was not worried about being the biggest woman there, I was not worried about people looking at me when we went out onto the dance floor! A few times we were even the first ones out there! My friends it was an eye opening, heart opening night. I celebrated my smaller fanny off!! 2 years ago, I could not ever conceive the thought of feeling normal, and sexy again in this manner. I love my Billy Bandass Band!!!!!!!!!! Pamela--glad your dinner ended up being worth it! I would have been shocked too! Sounds like you danced for your exercise yesterday too!!! I will be glad to do the daily tip---when it is my turn don't forget to remind me! LOL I agree, that they not only need to be about diet per se, but to be about bettering our lives,and our health. Isn't someone going to monitor our Water too??? I did lots of tea today--rehydrating!!! My first one reactivated my whiskey though!! Oh my......lol! Well I am off to a bubble bath once I check off my email. Will be back to see all of you in the morning! 2008--let's make it great!! Kat

Gingerbug: Sorry forgot to mention. They take your complete medical history. ON my band I have "gastric band", hypo thryroidism, high blood pressure, diabetes. I was also given a wallet card. The Canadian Medica Alert are in the medical field and very discreet. You have to have passwords, etc. Just tell them a gastric band, they don't ask for more information. Doddie