Hi everyone--I thought I'd listen to some advice from one of the other monthly groups and start one master thread in which we have an ongoing discussion/updates. I don't know about you all but I certainly spend most of my time on these boards on the pre-op forum and the general forum, not here. It would be nice to have just one thread to go to once in this forum.

We can maybe start out with introductions?

As for me, I'm going the "online privacy" route for now (paranoid that people I haven't told about this will somehow stumble across me on this site I guess, which is crazy, I know) but I can give you the big picture:

You can call me Penny, I'm 27, single and live in the Washington, DC area. I have a background in politics (which is why I live in DC) but now I'm a librarian which is much cooler and way more fun (trust me on that). Oh, and there's no "Marion the Librarian" thing with me either. One of the things I hear most frequently (besides the cliche "you have such a pretty face") is "but you don't LOOK like a librarian", which is another one of those bizarre backhanded compliments that you never really know how to take.

Personality wise, I'm kind of dorky, big into public radio and books and popular science. Oh, I'm also a little on the paranoid side (as you may be able to tell from earlier in this post). Beyond that I'm just kind of silly and friendly, VERY much so into traveling and I'm an aspiring "green" domestic diva (but that's not going so well).

I just talked to my oldest (stepdaughter) tonight and she told me she is on ambien. Someone tried to break into their house a couple of weeks ago and since then she can't sleep. The dr. prescribed the ambien which she took for the first time last night. She made the mistake of not going straight to bed. Her husband told her he walked her to bed. She was watching tv while basically being asleep. He said it was almost scary. I told her from now on if she is going to take it, she needs to finish everything for the night and take it while sitting on her bed then immediately lay down. I would hate for her to try to take care of the kids while "asleep".

I use Ambien and it can be quite scary if not in bed when used. It works within 20 minutes. I once cooked potatoes and peas (a comfort food for me) and found it in the morning with no memory of having cooked it! (This is the 1st meal I had cooked by my mother after coming off chemo for cancer, so it had special memories.) At least I had not eaten any!

I use Ambien and it can be quite scary if not in bed when used. It works within 20 minutes. I once cooked potatoes and peas (a comfort food for me) and found it in the morning with no memory of having cooked it! (This is the 1st meal I had cooked by my mother after coming off chemo for cancer, so it had special memories.) At least I had not eaten any!

I take ambien too. I break a 5mg in half.....sometimes I whole one. They are so expensive. I wish I could find something cheaper. I tried the time released and it gave me night terrors.

Maybe that is my problem I do not go to bed write away. I guess I should do that. Thanks guys

Hey gals, hope you're all doing well. I had a bad week with my band last week. I had a lot of very unusual abdominal pain. My surgeon thinks that the tubing from the band to the port may have been flopping around in my abdominal cavity causing scarring/adhesions. He thinks the tubing may be caught in the adhesions. I felt much better over the weekend, but I still can feel little "tweaks" when I bend or lay down. If things aren't better in 2-4 weeks he wants to do a lap to take a look. I really really hope that this was a fluke thing and that I dont have to have surgery.

I finally made it to the Y today. I joined 2 weeks ago and haven't gone yet. I swam for over an hour! I didn't go very fast, but I did keep my heart rate up. My shoulders are a bit sore, but it felt good.

Hey gals, hope you're all doing well. I had a bad week with my band last week. I had a lot of very unusual abdominal pain. My surgeon thinks that the tubing from the band to the port may have been flopping around in my abdominal cavity causing scarring/adhesions. He thinks the tubing may be caught in the adhesions. I felt much better over the weekend, but I still can feel little "tweaks" when I bend or lay down. If things aren't better in 2-4 weeks he wants to do a lap to take a look. I really really hope that this was a fluke thing and that I dont have to have surgery.

I finally made it to the Y today. I joined 2 weeks ago and haven't gone yet. I swam for over an hour! I didn't go very fast, but I did keep my heart rate up. My shoulders are a bit sore, but it felt good.

Sorry to hear about the problems. I hope it clears up. Congratulations on the pool! I have GOT to get my behind to the gym. It should be safe for me to exercise again, dangit.

Happy St. Paddy's Day! :lunch:

lovegrapes, I hope your problems clear up and further surgery isn't necessary.

I haven't posted in awhile. Been doing horrible. I don't think I am gaining weight but I am almost eating ice cream every day. Then there are some fresh cookies in the house that was sent to us. See what happened was. I enrolled in school to become a Nurse Practitioner. I had spinal surgery in Oct. 22 and I was healing very fast. The fastest they had seen. Then in Jan. I was in so much pain. Went back to the doctor and they said I stopped healing in Nov. So I dropped out of one class. Was having a terrible time with my neck. Had an epidural in my neck. That didn't help. Went back to the doctor and now I am scheduled for a neuro stimulator that involves 3 surgeries. The last one takes 2 months to heal from it. A wire is placed all the way down my spinal cord and then inserts to a stimulator that will beat the pain receptors in my brain and it will signal that it is a tingle feeling instead of a pain feeling. Does this makes sense. They said there was no way that I would be able to do school and absolutely no way would I ever be able to finish nursing school. So today I had to drop out. Food comforts me. I am sad for myself. I feel like my life is over cause I can't hardly do anything but lay in bed.

So there it is. I just can't help myself!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

lovegrapes, I hope your problems clear up and further surgery isn't necessary.

Donna, you look so good in the new picture. WTG!

I haven't posted in awhile. Been doing horrible. I don't think I am gaining weight but I am almost eating ice cream every day. Then there are some fresh cookies in the house that was sent to us. See what happened was. I enrolled in school to become a Nurse Practitioner. I had spinal surgery in Oct. 22 and I was healing very fast. The fastest they had seen. Then in Jan. I was in so much pain. Went back to the doctor and they said I stopped healing in Nov. So I dropped out of one class. Was having a terrible time with my neck. Had an epidural in my neck. That didn't help. Went back to the doctor and now I am scheduled for a neuro stimulator that involves 3 surgeries. The last one takes 2 months to heal from it. A wire is placed all the way down my spinal cord and then inserts to a stimulator that will beat the pain receptors in my brain and it will signal that it is a tingle feeling instead of a pain feeling. Does this makes sense. They said there was no way that I would be able to do school and absolutely no way would I ever be able to finish nursing school. So today I had to drop out. Food comforts me. I am sad for myself. I feel like my life is over cause I can't hardly do anything but lay in bed.

So there it is. I just can't help myself!

Joiful, I am so sad to hear about all of your health issues. My husband has a neuro stimulator in his back. It does take care of the pain in his leg. He is having gastric bypass in June. He is able to walk and swim. So, no there is help for your pain. You should be able to walk and swim. Stay on your lap band journey because the more weight you lose the pain will ease up. You just need support. Start reading and posting again. I hope you recover quickly from your surgery. My husband had three surgeries for his stimulator and the recovery was minimal. Take Care!

Thank you Charlene and all that was so sweet. I weigh 170 so I don't think the 20 lbs. is going to make that much difference. The problem is in my neck mostly. I had two dics in my spinal cord when it finally got diagnosed and then had surgery right away. They told me it would take 2 months to recover from the last surgery that will happen probably first of April it is in my neck and will go all the way down.

I am suppose to have a fill on Thursday. I don't want to pay another $250. This is number I think 15 or 16 times that I have been there. 2 where unfills and too much was taken out. I just don't think the band has worked for me.

Thank you for your encouragement!

Thank you, Charlene. My DS took it for me.

joiful, I'm so sorry to hear of your troubles. I hope you get better soon and another career option opens up for you.

Orea, sending you positive thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.

Should I have my band tightened. I don't think I ever learned how to eat really small bites when it was tighten and then I threw up. That is why I had an unfill. What do you think? I don't get that full feeling after I eat and that is when I eat the ice cream.

Should I have my band tightened. I don't think I ever learned how to eat really small bites when it was tighten and then I threw up. That is why I had an unfill. What do you think? I don't get that full feeling after I eat and that is when I eat the ice cream.

It has taken me 7 mos to learn how to eat without getting stuck.....and I still get stuck. I got a fill on Monday and yesterday I ate half of an eggroll and got stuck. I ate it too fast and it had shrimp in it. If you are eating too fast and not chewing you probably are not too tight. If you are chewing your food good and throwing up......then maybe you are too tight. The band can be fickle. I believe I would have not lost this much weight without the band. It is work, but you can do it. Work with it and it will work for you.