Hello Junbies ......

I haven't seen a June Band Crew thread yet so thought I would start it .

I'll be banded on June 9th in Texas. I'm getting very excited about it. I know that the band is just a "tool" to aid in my weight loss journey and it will take a lot of hard work on my part to make it successful. I've been overweight my whole life with the earliest memories being around age 4. Although no one else in my family is overweight, I am extremely fortunate to have full family support in my decision. I know that there are many people who's family doesn't offer the support they need. I would love to meet other pre-bandsters being banded in June to walk with me to the banded side of life and offer each other support.

I wish you all the best.

Melissa Lea :hippie:

Pre-bandster 240 lbs

June 9, 2006

Spivak

self-pay

Good morning all! In regards to Sharon Osborne...Just remember, she not only had the band but most likely with all her money had a personal trainer and nutritionist who helped her as well. Most of us are self payers who barely were able to afford the surgery in the first place, work full time and struggle to find time to make it to a gym let alone have someone portioning our food for us! So, pat yourselves on the backs and be proud of who you are and how much you have accomplished this past year! I have only lost 60 pounds this year, but I wouldn't have done that without this band! On to my plea for help from all of you...

Yesterday was one of the hardest days of my life. I am asking for prayers from all of my friends here. My 17 year old nephew was burned over 20% of his body yesterday. Second and 3rd degree burns on his face, chest and hands. It isn't life threatening, but he will be in the hospital at least a month and will probably require several surgeries for skin grafts. They had to put a tube down his throat and put him to sleep for 48 hours. Because the burns were pretty bad on his neck and it caused swelling, they were afraid it may swell enough to cut off his being able to breathe. He is 100 miles away from where I live as we don't have a burn center here... Thank you for adding him to your prayer lists!!

Have a good week everyone and words of encouragement are, stay positive about yourselves and portion control!

Janelle, we are sending prayers your way. Let's hope for a speedy recovery for your nephew. They do amazing work with burns these days.

Also thanks for the positive message. We all have done well. I wouldn't exactly look to the Osborne's as role models. Sharon never learned anything from the band. Her appearance on Dr. Phil showed that. She will go back to full weight once the band comes out. She hasn't learned anything about control.

I had a big PB this morning, but I think the worst is over. This is happening the last few days - tightness and I guess restriction. I think its due to stress. I'm going back to liquids for a while.

Have a great day everyone.

Janelle, I'm so sorry about your nephew. He has my prayers and healing thoughts.

Janelle, I am so sorry to hear your news. I will pray for your nephew. I hate anything happening to kids.

Janelle, Praying for your nephew that he will have the best of care and will heal quickly and properly.

Socalgal - Have had some really tough days myself. I alternate between being too tight to eating an embarassing number of cookies (left over from fam reunion and then my recital). Today was new leaf day, but it looks as if tomorrow will have to do. I plan on getting back to the old challenge, journal, water and exercise.

Good news - DD continues to do well. She's lost nearly 30 pounds since March 21.

Recital went fantastic. After hosting more than 50 of these things, it was a gift from above.

Barbara - thought lots about you and Dick.

Poodles - Only we know what you've been through to hang in there. I admire your resolve.

In the past, I used food to lift my spirits. Now I self-indulge, but I like my new indulgences!

a new flashy necklace in summer colors

bottled water on the rocks in a wine glass

a diet wine cooler

a bubble bath

a subscription to Health Magazine

another pair of new shoes (after all I did lose a shoe size)

a cup of hot mint tea

Lots more fun than those cookies I caved in to!

Anyone else have a new indulgence?

Alot has been going on with me and I really need talk to my Lapband friends ........

Iam still having a hard time with my Bipolar medication. I was having really bad episodes and had to be take me off the Tegretol which I was on from April 21st until May 12. On May 12th I had a really bad episode and my therapist said we have to take here off this medication right now!

My psychiatrist was away for the weekend so I had to go to the hospital emergency room to have my medication changed.(My therapist had one of the emergency room psychiatrist evaluate me).

I was put on Klonopin and it has made an amazing difference for me.

I told the my psychiatrist who I saw Saturday, that Iam worried about this constant change in the medication and that my depression is getting worse. Also that Iam gaining my weight back and that my compulsive overeating is coming back full force.

He told me that these are the side effects of some of the medications, that my main concern should be to get my mental health under control and stabilized. Then get the weight under control.

I told him I had my Lapband surgery to control my weight, but to also control my depression since that was one of the things that was a cause of my depression.

I have my 11month follow up on Thursday with my Nurse ANP and I hope to get a fill and maybe with this new medication I can start over again on my weight loss journey.

I want to have a good talk with the nurse & dietitian and see if they can help me work on this along with taking my Bipolar medication.

I have read on some of the Bipolar sites and books that with the medication Iam on there are certain foods that I should avoid totally. So Iam going to take that information with me to show my dietian and nurse.

I have been really feeling like a failure lately as far as my Lapband is concerned. My complusive overeating is back full force!

I have been eating cake with vanilla icing that I make for my son and also eating Mr. Softie which we get from the ice cream truck, popcorn with lost of butter. This is my daily diet , I have no problems with these foods, they go down so well!

When I eat healthy foods like chicken and brown rice or eggs I get sick and PB.

I have been put on liquids for a week now but it has not been easy.

I just hope that a new fill and the help of the new medication will get me back on the right track with my life.

Iam sorry to dump on you all in here, but I feel like such a failure with my band. I had lost almost 70 pounds & I worked hard to lose that 70. Right now Iam luck if I have even 40 of that still off.

Iam so depressed, since I had bought such nice size 20 capri's to wear and I can not fit into them anymore. I am thankful that I did not get rid of my size 24 jeans and my sweatpants.

I have my brother's wedding in September which we just booked the airefare and hotel for. I was hoping to wear a really nice dress in size 16 , but even that now looks impossible.

On June 13th is my one year surgery date and instead of looking foward to it , Iam dreading it!

I hate that this dam Bipolar has taken over my life!

Lisa

Lisa,

I am so sorry you are going through all this. I know it is hard, I am struggling too being unfilled. But you do need to get your mental health in check because alot of us have the mental things that keeps us eating the wrong foods. I will send good thought and prayers your way. You feel free to dump on us anytime you need too, thats what we are here for!!!!

I'm so sorry you are having a rough time Leece. I got off of my depression medication after the surgery by my own doing and it has been hard he past few months. I thought losing weight would make my depression go away, but it didn't. You will get back to where you were once you get your medication stabilized. It sounds like you are doing all the right things as far as talking to the nurse and dietician. You know the things you are doing that aren't the best choices, like eating cake, so start making some changes. It will be healthier for your son as well not to be eating cake and ice cream. Take one day at a time and make small changes. Post here for accountability and support. Hope you are better soon!

Regina-good to hear from you! How are you?

Janelle-I'm sorry to hear about your nephew? How is he doing? How are YOU doing?

Barb- I hope Dick is getting better each day.

Poodles- I'm sorry you've had such a struggle losing weight too. I think we all wish we were at goal by our bandiversary, but that may not happen it seems. I know I won't be there! But the improvements are better than what was.

Pinky- I have no new indulgences, but thanks for a positive post and for all your support.

Everything going well here. Dick is getting better every hour. He is almost independent. Of course he can't drive or leave the house, but he is getting around pretty good.

I'm doing much better. Still tired, but not as bad. Hectic at work. Eating more junk because food is so difficult. Stress is playing havoc on my system. I've lost 2 lbs so I think I'll claim them. Dick has lost about 9 lbs. Not fair.

Time for all of us to get back to basics. Keep our programs pure and we won't have so many issues and regrets. I'm not going to make my bandanniversary goal, but that's OK. I'll just keep plugging away at it and someday I'll be in onederland.

Time to gather some pictues everyone and start posting our befores and afters. Lets post them on our anniversaires. It will be fun to see the changes, however slight they may be. Let's renew our journeys goals and not beat ourselves up for past regressions. Every day is a new day and we can make it better than the one that came before.

END OF PEP TALK ......I love all of you.

Sorry I have not posted lately, I have been having some horrible times with my dog. She has a sore on her tail that leaves blood all over my house, and she looks like an alien from her skin falling out and that cone thing on her head. We took her to the vet and $355.00 later, she has a hot pink tail, is on antibiotics, and we got the lab tests back (allergy testing) and found out that she is allergic to everything under the sun. Our carpet, our grass, her ALLERGY FORMULA dog food, her vitamins, fish, milk, potatoes, corn, carrots, oats, soy, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and the list goes on and on. So much that the poor baby is going to require TWO shots every three days for the rest of her life.

The only funny part about this is that we found out our DOG is allergic to CATS!

She looks so funny with a hot pink wrapped tail, a cone around her neck, and bald spots everywhere. You would think I torture the poor girl.

Diet wise, I am feeling better with my unfill. Can not get back in until summer, but I will go up slower this time.

I am enjoying eating salads, fruits (cherries), and all kinds of meat. Doing better on the sweets, but they are still there.

Two more weeks of school!!! Yeah!!!

Happy 3-day weekend to you all. Hopefully it is a 3 day weekend for you all and you are enjoying yourself and remembering those who died for our freedoms. Try to be good at those BBQs! I am making a bunch of food to bring to my cousin's tomorrow, but there will be over 10 adults there, plus kids, so it isn't all for me! I WILL practice moderation. I WILL! I am walking today at the lake with a friend. I am a little nervous because the last time I was on the way to the lake is when I had my car accident. Maybe I'll go another route. I hope your dog is better soon Poodles.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!!!! Its raining in Houston. Sometimes very heavy. I believe it has put a damper on most outdoor activities.

I am fnding myself getting stuck more and more. This is new to me so I'm trying to find all the things that I once could eat that I can't. Eggs are heading the list. Now, my DH's homemade pizza without the crust is another. I just can't keep it down. Just when I thought I would go for a fill .... :drum:

Tick Tock our anniversaries start next week. WOW can you believe. Don't forget to post pictures on your anniversary date.

Hope you all had a great weekend, it was nice and soggy here in Texas. Today is my first day back at work! I will probably be pretty tired by day end. Life without a fill SUCKS!!! I am hungary all the time, my stomache growls constantly. I am hopeing to start exercising again this week, starting slowly. I just got to stop eating things!!!!! I cannot get filled until August, since I have to have another surgery on June 29th to have a stint removed in my bile duct. June will be a LOOOONNNGGG month!!! LOL

I hear you reginia. I get so hungry, but now i'm getting stuck more and more. I have no self control and I'm eating easy fattening food.

Did go to Curves tonight. I lost a lb of fat, but gained a few inches in my arms. I knew that flab was growing!!

Got to keep going on this journey. I've made a few detours, but I think I'm on the main road again.