I've been spending a lot of time in Rants & Raves since I joined LBT, partly because it's fun, but also because for the most part it's very GLBT friendly. Unless I haven't looked in the right place, I don't think there's a support thread for us, so I decided to start one!

A little about me. I'm Eddie & I'm a 42-year-old Gay man. I have a partner of just over nine years (henceforth referred to as DH), a 17-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. DH and I are stupid. Don't believe me, just ask our kids. DH has hypothyroidism and had not been able to lose any weight after his thyroid "went nuts" several years ago. I've just been overweight all my life. He was banded on 2/21/07 and I'm getting mine next Wednesday (5/16). I can't wait!

Anyway, I would love to hear from all the GLBT folks out there. Hopefully this can be a place for us to freely discuss our unique issues and get support we may not be able to get elsewhere.

Hello, My name is Penney I am a lesbian..My life partner Kim and I have been together for nearly 5 years. I am so glad to have found this thread. I can get support from my GLBT family too. Love it! Anyways I am 28 years old and on January 9,2008 I will be banded in Texarkana Texas...I am nervous, scared, and excited all in one...I could just totally barf right now from nerves..I have waited 2 years for approval and for a surgery date. Got one and passed all pre-op blood work and only 4 days to go..Yikes! But to anyone that has had the surgery. I do have a few questions. If anyone has the time to answer them.. First off.. Right after you wake up from the surgery How bad is the pain? Is there alot of discomfort? and How long till it goes away?...I hate pain. I am a baby sometimes... But then again I went through wrist surgery with not one pain pain pill...Geeez.....Can't wait to meet all of you on here, hope everyone is doing well.....

are there any gay banders in shreveport louisiana??? i need a exercise partner/friend ... any???

I had surgery in Oct and I didn't really have any pain afterwards. My partner crushed some of the pain medication so I could use it at night, but I never needed it. I felt like I'd done too much ab work but it felt like muscle aches, not pain. My partner had the surgery 3 weeks later and she had the same experience!

THANKS FOR THE REPLY! I am still nervous a littel but calmer somewhat than before. I have read some pretty bad horror stories on here and I can tell you the flipping of the port, the slipping of the band and the erosion is a little scary....Anybody had that happen yet?:help:

Welcome Penney and Birder, I have had my band for over two years and have not had any of the problems that you mentioned, I did have my band tighten up on me because of stress, I just had a .5 cc removed and everything was OK, My partner of 15 yrs and I was both banded on the same day and we both have been fine.

Be nice to your band, do what the doc's tell you to do, and you will find that your band will be nice to you.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

Keep it Safe

THANKS FOR THE REPLY! I am still nervous a littel but calmer somewhat than before. I have read some pretty bad horror stories on here and I can tell you the flipping of the port, the slipping of the band and the erosion is a little scary....Anybody had that happen yet?:help:

Welcome Penney, I think more people tend to talk about bad experiences than the good. and I think the band has come a long way since the beginning. problems like you discribe I think happened more in the past when it was still a bit more experimental. They have found ways to perfect both the band and the procedure and many of the past problems have been resolved with time and testing. AND having a good , experienced doctor in a good hospital. there may still be some quacks out there illegally doing this. DO your research!!!Go to a place with a good record, and DO what the Dr. says and you should be very fine!

that being said, I never needed the pain pill once I left the hospital, the next day, but did find rapid blast liquid Tylenol to be helpful for the first few days. It was sore around the port site, never felt anything anywhere else. Good luck. Keep us posted!

Hi family!

Everyone can stop worrying now, I'm back! You can't get rid of me that easily! We've been on vacation and just got home last night. When I was checking my e-mail this morning (159 of them BTW!) and had a PM from Jo, I realized I didn't let you guys know I wasn't going to be posting for a while. I'm sorry!!

Anyway, after Christmas we went to North Carolina for vacay. Nine days in the mountains - yeah, it really sucked...NOT! We rented a cabin outside Maggie Valley and most of Sean's family met us there, so it was also a family reunion of sorts. Our kids each took a friend too, so we had a houseful of teenagers in addition to everyone else. There were 14 of us in all. We stopped in South Carolina on the way up and boght fireworks for New Year's eve. And of course there was lots of food and liquor (ya think?). The funny thing was that we did most of the drinking on the 30th, not the 31st! :cocktail: I actually had a little too much and wound up tripping on the railroad ties around the hot tub and whacking my shins pretty good. Hey, it was dark and I couldn't see them! :guess At any rate, I didn't get into the hot tub after that - I just went upstairs and went to sleep. I wound up not drinking anything on New Year's eve!

The best part of the whole week? It started snowing on Tuesday night and we wound up with about 4" by Wednesday morning! Our daughter's best friend had never seen snow before (mountains either, actually) so she was pretty excited. Our son and his friend went snowboarding on Wednesday and we all went snow tubing on Friday. What a blast!

We also had a photographer come to the cabin and take a lot of pictures, so once Sean gets them up on our website, I'll post a link. I haven't gone and weighed yet, but I think a gained a few pounds back. No worries though - I have a fill scheduled for the 28th so it's back to normal.

I see we have several new additions to our family! How cool is that!? Welcome to you all! I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you.

Happy New Year!!

Eddie,

Glad to know you're doing well and had a good time.

Hi new people.

I'm doing well and moving right along with the weight loss.

XO

Welcome 'home' Eddie, we've missed your wonderful self! Glad you and the family had a great time. When my kids were little we went to a place called Steel Creek, somewhere in the N.C. mountains , I forget the town. camped and hiked. Really pretty up there:photo:

:bump2::bump2:

Hey Eddie, glade to see you back, Happy New Year to you and your honey.

Keep it Safe Everyone.

Hi! I'm in Maryland and was banded on 12/6/07. I'm just starting to explore the various areas of this talk forum and found the GLBT forum. My partner and I have been together 6 years. She was opposed to my having surgery at first; it took her quite some time to warm up to the idea. She has been very supportive and loves that I'm taking better care of myself. I'm doing well - I haven't weighed myself for over a week as my weight loss slowed considerably after I moved to solid foods. I'm still losing and I'm getting into clothes that I haven't been able to wear for years; I just had to get over the sadness of not dropping the weight as quickly as I did while on liquids. I feel so much better already and my blood pressure has been down to 110/60 consistenly for over 3 weeks. I went to a women's BB game last weekend and was amazed at how comfortable I felt in the auditorium seat. I'm used to being squeezed in like a sardine and feeling like I'm overflowing. I was very comfortable through the whole game. Hurray!! I love the support this forum has to offer and look forward to reading the posts in this section.

Lucysmom (Cynthia)

299/285/265/?

Banded 12/6/07

Hey Cynthia,

Welcome to Bandland! Congrats on "so far" and good luck on your journey!

Hi there. Another Big Ole Gay Boy to add to the subscribers list. I'm getting banded on Monday (Jan. 14)... can't wait. Time to get some weight off this fat butt and get myself into some clothes that don't come from the Fat Man's Store.

Hey there, kity. Just saw your Shrink'n Violets thread about you all hooking up to meet. What a great time it sounds like!

Just something they gave us at work I thought I would share.

Make a Fresh Start: 10 Tips

Tuning in to what motivates you can help you make a big change, such as quitting smoking, losing weight, starting an exercise program or reducing stress.

1. Know yourself. Think about what drives you. You may feel pride in a job well done, enjoy getting praise from others or be inspired to change by a personal event.

2. Choose realistic goals. Look toward results that are specific and reachable. “I will lose 10 pounds by the summer” is easier to reach than a general one such as “I want to be thinner.”

3. Take one step at a time. Break down large goals into small steps. If you want to reduce stress, you might start by learning one new calming technique, crossing one item off your to-do list or setting up a space in your home for quiet reflection.

4. Set a time frame. Mark your start date and deadlines on your calendar.

5. Build confidence. Do easy tasks first to create a positive attitude.

6. Recall your purpose. Why are you making this change? Perhaps you want to feel and look better, live longer so you’ll enjoy your grandchildren, have more energy or be successful at work. Use your values as inspiration.

7. Cut out distractions. Make reaching your goal a priority. Schedule it into your day like any other appointment. Recognize that you might need to get more rest and cut back on obligations as you work toward your goal.

8. Plan for setbacks. Know that the road may be bumpy. Decide now what you’ll do when you have a tough day, such as calling a friend or doing something special for yourself.

9. Ask for help. Set up a support network of people you trust who can help you meet your goal.

10. Reward yourself. Every accomplishment, no matter how small, deserves recognition.