If there are any Christians out there who are looking for special support during this time I thought we could start a thread related to this. It might help with those thoughts and doubts as to if this is the right thing we are doing or any other 'shares' that might come to mind. I could use some at this time in my walk.

Sister in Christ,

Valerie

Hope - you will be in my prayers on Sunday (will it be Sunday here???). I guess I'll start on Saturday and continue till Monday - just to be sure I'm covering the necessary day! LOL! Our daughter is married to an Army officer and they are posted in Korea now - I always have to think about what day it is for them, not to mention what time it is so I don't call them in the middle of the night! I pray you have a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. Sip water and walk. Take your pain meds when you need them (if you need them). You will be feeling better in a matter of days. I did not have a lot of pain, most people don't and some go back to work in a few days. I am retired, so my work consists of going to the sewing machine. No problem! Good luck to you.

Hi JoannMarie,

Thank you so much for all those information your giving and where to fine them. I'm waiting for the first 2 books your reffering to and I'm planning to by the 3rd one also.

Here, we don't have all the things you go though before the surgery, like going to see a psy. to know if we're ready for that surgery. I think personnaly, it's a really important thing and I'm sure that the book by Cynthia L. Alexander is going to help me a great deal. I think God is really using you to help other bansters or in the process to be. Keep listening to God.

clempier

Oh Clempier - thank you so much for your kind words. I know I had so many questions all through the process, and by the time I had the surgery I knew a lot about what to expect because I had people I could ask and recommended reading that anwered a lot of questions before I had even thought of a question like that... I am so grateful to God for leading me on this path and walking with me each day. I'm happy to help in any way I can. That's what He does - and it's a pretty good model to follow. Let me know if you like the books when you've had a chance to read them.

God bless you.

Hello Christian bandsters - haven't posted in a while but wanted to drop in and say hello. We just kicked off the new season in our Women's Ministry this past Thursday. I was so blessed to have 27 women come into the new class. I have been Women's Ministry leader for over a year now and God is just doing amazing things.

The book that we are studying for the next 12 weeks is written by Elizabeth George and is entitled "Finding God's Path Through Your Trials - His help for every difficulty you face." It is going to be a wonderful study. Just wanted to encourage all of you by reminding you that the Bible tell us:

His grace is sufficient for us and his power is made perfect in our weakness....(2 Cor 12:9).

We have to just turn it all over to him and put our faith in Him knowing that he will bring us through.

Forgetting

All others

I put my

Trust in

Him

Have a great week!

thanks for such a wonderful and inspiring post. I am one week out from surgery, love Jesus with all my Heart. im feeling the Post surgery blues at times. I know that the surgery can throw ya for a loop. I wasnt able to get it done laprascolically, so the large incision was the big hurdle i have to get over. 9.5 inches long

I have had 2 open proceedures there from the same hole and there was just so much scar tissue,,he couldnt do the small incisions and get around in there. I am home and all is fine,.

Thanks again for the great post.

Mary

almost forgot,,,,,,lost 12 pounds!:thumbdown:

Hi all!

It's been so long since I have posted on here and I miss that support so much. Things have just been so crazy for me lately and it never fails everytime I get distracted, I start to fall away from my support and forgetting to do what I am suppossed to be doing to stay on track with my eating and exercising.

I am looking forward to getting plugged back into my small bible study group at church again this coming week as well as logging on here more often to help keep my spirits up.

I really need to ask a favor though, I could really use some prayer I feel like I am carrying around a hugh weight on my shoulders because I have stopped eating right and losing weight. Not to mention I am having a hard time SLEEPING...I get on average only 3 hours sleep each night. It has gotten so bad my doctor has prescribed me some Ambien CR but in the last 4 months I have only gotten up the nerve to take it 2 times. I am so afraid of becoming dependant upon sleeping pills for sleep. Not to mention on top of all this I have been at a "plateau" for the last 3 months and really need to be back on track with my weight loss again.

I am not even at the half way mark yet, and it is just too soon to stop losing already, it has only been 14 months since surgery.

Well I hope everyone else is having a great weekend and doing well!

Hi Apple, It's good you are getting back to the basics. I am new to all this, just banded on Dec 4, so I probably don't have a lot of seasoned advice, but I will certainly pray for you - that you are successful in getting back on track with food and exercise. I noticed you have a ticker about Water aerobics. I think water aerobics is great, but maybe just for something new you could try adding a different exercise. The elliptical trainer or recumbant bike (or both) might give your body a little jolt of something extra. Think about adding a new exercise element to your routine without giving up your water aerobics. Just a thought.

Also, there is a mentoring section on LBTalk. I go to a thread started by IndioGirl - I'm here to help... She is a great motivator, successful bandster who is great at helping the rest of us achieve our goals. Read some of the posts and just jump in - you will find a lot of support from the friends there. God Bless!

Hope09 - I hope you have had a successful surgery and will be back to visit with us soon. Take your pain meds if you need them, walk as much as you can, sip Water and follow doctor's orders.

God Bless!

Hi Joann

Thanks so much for your prayers. I was banded on the 25th and came home on the 26th. I have got the normal aches and pains but I've also got this stabbing pain like a knife just above and to the left of my navel. It's awful and I'm going to call the doc tomorrow. I also feel like I have to hold my stomach as I get this pulling feeling if I don't. I'd really appreciate your prayers for healing. I know it's still early days. The good thing is that I've felt so bad that i haven't even thought about food!:cursing:

Jacquie

Hi Joann

Thanks so much for your prayers. I was banded on the 25th and came home on the 26th. I have got the normal aches and pains but I've also got this stabbing pain like a knife just above and to the left of my navel. It's awful and I'm going to call the doc tomorrow. I also feel like I have to hold my stomach as I get this pulling feeling if I don't. I'd really appreciate your prayers for healing. I know it's still early days. The good thing is that I've felt so bad that i haven't even thought about food!

Jacquie

By all means, Hope - call your doctor about the pain. However, it sounds like the port area and could be associated with the attachment of the port to the muscle tissue. My band is the Realize band, and the port attaches with metal "clips" - at least that is how it was described to me. It took a while to heal in place and bothered me for several weeks with diminishing pain. I also felt like I had to support that area because of a pulling sensation. I can still feel it if I bend over just so or lean over a table, etc. No matter how the port is attached, it seems to cause pain for just about everybody during the first weeks. Hopefully that is what is causing your pain. It's easier to deal with if you know what it is and that it will heal and go away...

God Bless!

Hi Apple, It's good you are getting back to the basics. I am new to all this, just banded on Dec 4, so I probably don't have a lot of seasoned advice, but I will certainly pray for you - that you are successful in getting back on track with food and exercise. I noticed you have a ticker about Water aerobics. I think water aerobics is great, but maybe just for something new you could try adding a different exercise. The elliptical trainer or recumbant bike (or both) might give your body a little jolt of something extra. Think about adding a new exercise element to your routine without giving up your water aerobics. Just a thought.

Also, there is a mentoring section on LBTalk. I go to a thread started by IndioGirl - I'm here to help... She is a great motivator, successful bandster who is great at helping the rest of us achieve our goals. Read some of the posts and just jump in - you will find a lot of support from the friends there. God Bless!

Thanks...actually I recently started doing the elliptical and I really love it...usually I do about 1 hour on it but if I try to do it more than 2 times a week my sciatica really starts spasming more than normal. But yes I do love doing other things too....Take care and thanks for the prayers and advice about the support thread!!!

Hi Joann and everyone,

Thanks for your prayers, I am feeling a lot better today, praise the Lord! I went back to the doctor yesterday and he gave me some stronger painkillers as I was only on children's Tylenol. Anyway there was nothing wrong and I am feeling a lot less pain today even without the new painkillers.

Thanks again!

Hope, so glad you are feeling better. You probably won't need those pain meds very long, but they sure help when you need them.

Hi JoannMarie,

I got my book "The Emotional First + Aid Kit" and I read up to p. 41. I'm so glad you gave me that refference, that's exactly what I need right now. It gives really good advice before the surgery. I already learned things. I also got "The South Beach Diet" book. I read it a bit but the other one is what I need right now. I'm expecting a date in February. They should have received all the medical equipment required now. Because it's new at the Hospital, they didn't have all them the last I've heard. I'm going to see my friend Mary who works at this Hospital tomorrow at church and I'll ask her if she heard anything about that. Here, they don't have any psychologist to help and I think it's a big part of the preparation for that kind of surgery because it's a life changing story. I was wondering for the ones who already got the surgery how they manage with the cravings. In the book, she says you're going to have them and you have to change your mind like doing something else. I was wondering if someone would share what they do when it happens? God bless you.

clempier

Hi Clempier,

I try to keep busy - go for a walk if weather permits, which can be an issue this time of year. Read a book or magazine. Give yourself a manicure. Call a friend on the phone. Go shopping (can be hazardous to your checkbook). I have several hobbies that involve handwork - knitting, crocheting, quilting. Those hobbies help a lot because you are keeping your hands busy and if you are knitting or sewing you are not eating. We have a new grandson due in April and he has an knitted baby afghan and several knitted hats (so far). Fabric for his quilt is on the work table ready to be cut and sewn. His big brother received a couple of knitted hats recently, and will have a new hooded sweater soon. I always have a scarf on needles - just in case I am between projects and need something to pick up and knit. (Wow - I must have a lot of cravings!!) Go to LBTalk when you have a craving. You will not only forget the craving, you will receive a lot of support and answers to questions. Draw, paint, write, make jewelry - in other words do something creative. If you don't have any hobbies like that, go take a class or find someone who knits or quilts and ask them to teach you. Knitting is not hard to learn, equipment does not have to be expensive, and yarn does not have to cost a lot either (although it can...). There are just a couple of basic stitches and you can eventually do any pattern with those stitches as you gain experience and want to try something new.

In other words - get your mind (and hands) off the craving and busy with something else. I allow myself a snack in the evening because that's when I like to snack - sugar free pudding, sf fudgecicle, etc. But most evenings I get busy with something else and forget all about it. It's been working for me.

Always plan your Snacks in your daily allotment of food/calories. Whatever "evil" you think you will crave the most, find a sugar free and low fat substitute to use as a snack at the time you will most crave it. Stick with your plan, using the above techniques to help you stick with it.

Best of all and most effective - pray about it.

p.s. I am so glad you are enjoying the book. I sure found it helpful.

Edited February 2, 200917 yr by JoannMarie