wow, i have been banded with plication for almost 2 yrs

and been on this forum for 2 yrs 4 months..where has the time gone?

i am happier today then i was when i started in Feb 2012...compared to

where i am now today..

the only (advice) i want to give is the following (take it or ignore it):

• call your doctor if you are hurting or concerned or need (assistance w/questions can i or should i eat/do/drink)
• i strongly advise anyone to do what THEIR doctor says, not mine or anyone elses..
• use common sense (you cant gain true weight overnight and you wont lose true weight overnight)
• eating more calories than you burn off will make you gain weight with or without any WLS
• reality is clothes sizes getting smaller is a accurate sign of losing weight (dont focus totally on the metal monster)
• you do not have to be at goal in six months...get there when you do...WLS has no expiration date

and last but not least

believe in yourself to give yourself credit..you know if you eat too much of the not so great food chioices out there

dont say the WLS did not stop you..you stop you.....YOU can control yourself..(you wont step out in front of a train would you??)

WLS will help you but it wont be the save all as that part is up to you and me

be well and all the best to you.

Thank you everyone , you supporters are why I stay in touch on here & for me to be reminded I am doing good , the people I know & talk to tell me all the time or the ones that know me but haven't seen me in awhile , like I said I still till this day don't see it but when I take pictures or selfies then I see it.

Debbie

I think the haircut makes you look younger!!!! Just the kids teasing us we are old????

@ Julie Norton Thank YOU , I have been getting a lot of that & I color my own hair , but I don't cut my own but a LOT of people are saying , I look younger , I love it .

Haven't posted a NYC picture in a while but now that the weather is nice, I'm out and about. This is the fountain at Lincoln Center. It's been updated so it's not the one you all remember from Moonstruck or even Ghostbusters. But you should recognize The Metropolitan Opera House behind it. Enjoy.

I haven't posted much lately. I've been struggling, but maintaining my weight. The last couple of days has been easier. I'm not sure why I've had so much hunger recently. I know I don't need a fill because if I eat solid Protein I can feel restriction, and have to eat slowly to avoid getting stuck.

Lots going on. NSETBEx returned the Father's Day card his daughters mailed him, with a snotty note attached. They're done.

A coworker friend and his wife were in a horrible car accident Sunday and he may lose a finger. The car that crossed the highway and hit them head on was driven by a young mother of three. She died at the scene.

Saturday I'll walk in my first ever 5k. My knee is in a lot of pain but I can't get my steroid shot until July 1. However, walking should be okay. My training at the gym is temporarily on hold until after the shot.

Sorry to ramble. Feeling rather anxious lately about so much stuff. Divorce, money issues. NSETBEx isn't obeying one of the court order items and we haven't even started discussing the house. My lawyer will be going out of town for three weeks just at the time NSETBEx is supposed to pay college tuition. Ugh.

Perspective, right? Some day this will be behind me.

A friend of mine filed for divorce in December (actually her husband filed) and signed her final papers last week. She used my lawyer. However, they had a collaborative divorce. Not me. Next month will be a year that I moved out and filed. And we're still in the discovery phase because he simply won't cooperate and produce documents.

Getting worn out by all of this. I hope the 5k does me some emotional good. I need to feel strong again.

Thanks for listening! ????

@@JustWatchMe divorce is an ugly monster sometimes. I'm sorry that your going through all this drama and that the other person has to keep being such a p**ck.

I hope you enjoy the 5k. Put your ear buds on and just walk and enjoy the scenery and don't think about a darn thing other than getting to that finish line. That was how I made it through my first one. I didn't care about the time, just the fact that I was able to complete the dam thing was more than enough for me. I am going to do it again this year, and again who cares about the time it's just about doing it and crossing that finish line it's an empowering feeling.

People can get you down and let you down and sometimes it's all you can do to keep your chin above Water I know I'm sure everyone here has been there more times than we care to think about. We are human after all

This weekend here in NY is supposed to be soppy and wet. I'm starting to feel like I should grow some duck/goose feathers!! The air quality over the last few days has been driving my COPD insane. The high humidity makes it hard for me to breathe and so I'm exhausted more often than not from not getting enough oxygen I think.

I did manage to take the hubby fishing on Father's day in the rain!!! Eventually the day cleared up and it got horribly hot and humid so I was glad we went out early and were back in the AC by then.

JWM

YOU ARE GETTING STRONGER! And your soon to be ex is doing down right immature and hurtful things. I'm sorry for your girls... It is not their issues.

Now, you can be the mature one and rise above his pettiness. It is difficult, but you can do it. Just like the 5K... Hard but worth it.

I'm hoping things get resolved.... At one point I had to bifurcate ( separate the divorce from assets). Just to keep moving along... Just a very distant memory. Like I hope yours becomes????

Thanks, Lisa and Julie. You're the best. I'm walking the 5k with a friend and we are wearing matching t-shirts from my daughter's sorority fundraiser. Love the flying fish, Lisa !!

Julie, this divorce is just creeping forward. I'm just turning the results over to God and trusting in my expensive attorney. We're not wealthy, but what we do have is being wasted on this long and drawn out process. Just for spite.

I know I've gotten stronger. I just have days when it doesn't feel that way. But when I think back on the paralysis I was in before I got my surgery and left him, it's like night and day.

The good thing is that my girls are not in victim mode. They are resilient and enjoying being away from the daily craziness we lived in last year.

So it will all work out. Not on my schedule, but I trust that God has good things planned for me.

5K, yippee! Way to go....I find when I am overwhelmed with stress that walking helps so much. Grateful not to be tamping them down with food anymore. You are a beautiful person and wonderful mother -- it really sucks that you have to go through this, but it will come to an end. The main thing is the three of you are no longer in his clutches. You're free. The rest is paperwork and you are showing up for all of that just like you showed up for yourself and your girls. It will come to an end. Think about Italy -- that's what I do when I need an escape hatch. Transport yourself to your favorite piazza and draw on those memories. Pat yourself on the back for everything you've accomplished in this last year. You are amazing!

Lisa, love the pix! Looks like a great way to spend Father's Day.

I'm glad the girls are not feeling rejected. No one can hurt you as badly as those who are supposed to love us.

The 5k was so much fun. We walked it in an hour and nine minutes. Not speedy, but we did it! We underestimated how far away the parking was so we actually walked an extra mile before and another after the 5k. My knee is sore but I'm glad I did it.

I guess I have been in the green zone for a while now, I went to my Band Surgeon for a check up , did the barium & it finally went down really slow , he asked if I wanted a fill , I said no so when We watched the barium he agreed , then he also said that I was now in the 6 month stage I asked what that meant he said since I was doing good I didn't need to see him but every 6 months & Lately I have been getting your so skinny or the if you lose anymore your going to disappear , but it is my body & I didn't DO or have wls for anyone but myself , like I said before I will never be thin or skinny , I might look smaller but my frame is wide , but I take the compliments say Thank you & keep it moving.

@@Debbie3sons you are doing so well -- really happy for you. And a wide smile! I'm not trying to be a skinny Minnie either. I like my curves and am not a fan of that withered look. Here's to doing what we are doing for ourselves! And to strength and health -- those are my real goals.

Strep+arthritic flare-NSAIDs = Ow

So I woke up at 2am with my shoulders, particularly my right shoulder, in excruciating pain. I could not get comfortable. I tried sitting in a chair, laying flat, laying propped up with pillows, walking around, etc. I rubbed some BenGay in, and took some Arthritis Tylenol. An hour later I was able to doze back off.

Because my rheumatologist is off on Thursdays, I decided to go to the urgent care center and have the shoulder looked at. It was so bad that I could barely move my arm. While I was there I mentioned that I have had a sore throat most of the week. So they decided to swab me for strep at the same time. Guess what? Positive for strep.

During the time that I had a sore throat this week, I didn't think it was strep because I had no fever. I also didn't particularly have much of a soreness in my throat. Instead, it felt like I had swelling in my throat (almost a blockage) and my voice was very hoarse and raspy.

The doctor said that although it is not certain, strep may have contributed to the arthritic flare and joint pain. My shoulder x-ray showed moderate degenerative osteoarthritis, which I already knew I had. Although I have been working out at the gym, this week I've only been doing leg work and walking on the treadmill. No arm work. So trauma to the joint wasn't an issue.

Anyway, two doses of penicillin for the strep so far and I feel so much better. It's truly a miracle drug. Today was the first day since my LapBand surgery that I was disappointed in not being able to take NSAIDs for pain and inflammation.

Thankfully, it looks like I won't have to.

Saturday through Tuesday my girls and I are taking a little mini vacation to Starved Rock in Illinois. We are planning to do some hiking. I hope I'm back up to speed by then.