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 ordered some from Chadwicks that are pretty good. They seem to run a little small, so I will wear them after I lose about 10 more lbs. I am going for a fill on Monday. I think I only want about .25ccs. I was going to get it today, but I want to eat boiled crawfish on Sunday and I don't want to risk being too tight.

i just ordered some from chadwicks that are pretty good. They seem to run a little small, so i will wear them after i lose about 10 more lbs. I am going for a fill on monday. I think i only want about .25ccs. I was going to get it today, but i want to eat boiled crawfish on sunday and i don't want to risk being too tight.

chew! Chew! Chew!

I can totally relate. I look a LOT better in my clothes, but I HATE my arms. I just stocked up on 3/4 length sleeve tshirts by ordering online so I can cover my arms this summer. Dangit!

I think that's what I'll do today, a little on line shopping. 3/4 length, good idea. Most of the time I go that way for work anyway because I have about 10 tatoo's(was a wild child back in the day) and I work in my DH's office so I try to play the part for his sanity. We come from to differant worlds but he loves me anyway. Maybe I'll get lucky and find some on clearance.

Okay all,

I was looking at the oprah site and saw the stuff about Kristie Alley who gained all her weight back after going off the JC plan. She said at the end of the story that she was probably never going to wear a bikini again but she say a real cute dress she wanted to wear. And I thought I have not worn a dress, or a skirt in years I mean years not since High School. I would love to wear a cute summer dress. I guess I need to find a cute goal dress or something. What are all you thoughts on this?

Also on that show a man was on there and said if they could do bypass on his brain he would go for it because that is where the problem was not his stomach. This is so true. There is a WV woman who has some type of surgery on her brain for this. Oh My I don't know if I would do that. Here the tittle on MSNBC "Obese woman has brain surgery for weight lossW.Va. mother of 2 is second to get deep brain stimulation to control hunger"

The goal dress is a good idea, but brain surgery, I don't think so. I really don't want anyone messing with my brain. although I will say that I do think that's where all this comes from. When I was making bad food choices it was out of want not need. I would eat even when I wasn't hungry just because I wanted it. It can consume you, and still battle it everyday

How is everybody doing? Me.........well, one day good, another day bad. I didn't even weigh today. I am scheduled for another fill on the 14th. If I don't get my act together I don't know if I will go. I hope all of you Butterflies check in.

AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! It is teacher appreciation week and yesterday was chocolate day. My students are hardly EVER sweet to me (just kidding) but they did indeed bring me chocolate. I even got a box of goo goo clusters:ohmy:

I LOVE the Butterflies!! Seriously, the sweets, the arms and chew, chew, chew! Aint that true? This week I have been lookin at my upper arms, now from my view point , they is takin on some shape...but then I looked in the mirror and I se some wrinkles going on and I lift up my arms and it jiggles like jello! :tt2: Thinks to self, wonder if that will ever go away? Thinks about Bigger loser and wonders well, it might, those people lose like over 100 pds in 4mths, they dont have jello arms, so hope is restored! :tt2: Then the sweets, what is up with this? I was NOT a sweet eater before the surgery, but now *rolls eyes*. I figure it is the lack of carbs in the diet that my body is cravin...carbs convert to sugar, now if the body wants sugar, it craves sweets...now to find a sweet that dont feel like cheating...kwim? :tt2: And last but not least, you would think that after almost a year I would be chewing everything, taking small bites etc...but i can tell you now that they willhave to kill me to get this band outta me, cuz I fear I would be a ravenous binger...not a good thing to discover about yourself, eh? And I can go a whole day, not even once thinking about food, so go figure.

On another note, I had my boob surgery a week ago last friday, they had to replace the implant from the mastectomy , pretty much peeling it from my skin due to scar tissue. I think they dug me a whole new ditch in my chest! The surgeon said that there was so much scar tissue it was actually pushing up and twisting the implant. :tt2: I was recovering pretty well, although he didnt take the drain out last week and wanted it for another week along with another week of antibiotic...which turns out to be a good thing...cuz I fell off a ladder Sunday! Seriously I was helping hubby & son finish siding of the house (I know I probably shouldnt have) and son had to leave, we only had a few more panels to get up and I couldnt leave it so I was using the ladder to get on and off the air conditioner and had my left foot on the ladder rung my left hand on the top of the ladder and my right foot on the air conditioner and the ladder slid out from under my left foot, taking me with it and I landed on the cement. My whole left side is beyond hurting now, I have a skinned elbow, a sprained middle finger that is the size of a small sausage and huges lumps on my left hip that are now bruising...we probably should have stopped but we only had a few more panels to get up and the house has waited 2 seasons, since my brother got lung cancer to almost 2 yrs ago and couldnt completed it, so we finished it, but man am I paying for it today! I am wickedly sore and stiff...last night I was in sooo much pain, the kind that makes you so emotional, that you are the verge of tears and wanna crawl outta your skin, but cant...I called my son, daughter and mommy to pray for me, it was that bad...I took 1 1/2 pain pills. I slept pretty good, but my left side is killing me, especially my new boob, I cant wear a bra, during the day cuz of the dang drain and the binder I had after the mastectomy I can now only wear during the night, so I am walking around with my boob slung up in the crook of my left arm. :smile: Of course, having fibromyalgia isnt helping right now, my body is in a bad pain cycle...man, and I was trying so hard to be safe, by using that ladder to get up and down from the air conditioner...:thumbup:

So that is my catch up...oh yeah I go in for my 3rd fill next week, yeah, I have been at a stand still for way too long too! Hope all us Butterflies have a better week and a great losing month! (((hugs))) to all!

Well, dang, Cynthia I hope you get to feeling better. You may want to call your doctor and make sure you haven't broken anything.

I hope your arms bounce back better than mine. Jello has NOTHING on me. I swear I can hear them flapping in the breeze when I move them. :thumbup: Oh well, at least I look better with clothes on. Good luck and please call your doctor to get some xrays. I will be praying for you.

Thanks for the prayers! I know I havent broken anything, but I do happen to be going to my surgeon tomorrow, hopefully he will remove this dang drain, it hurts almost as much as my muscles do from the fall. :smile: And I took a veryhot shower after work tonight and it made me feel better, well that along with some pain meds. :tt2:

...so here is hoping! :thumbup:

Those dang drains!!!! Thinking about drains is what may keep me from having the tummy tuck I need so bad.:cool2: Good luck at your appointment today, and I hope he/she takes your drain out.

Cynthia.......good hearing from you, but my goodness, you have been through alot of stuff. You have done well with your weight loss considering you have not had much of a fill. Take care! Prayers and Hugs for you!

Cynthia, Know what your saying about the drains. HATE HATE them. Also, Nice to hear from you. Hope everything goes a little smoother for you from now on. Congrats on the loss. You seem to be doing good in that department.

Thanks Gals! Going thru *stuff* is the way we roll in my family, seriously, I think we own hospitals somewhere...it is ridiculous! Anyway, I went to the doc this morning and he took the drain out! YEAH! I am sooo happy! I did tell him about my fall and the amount of fluid that gathered over the course of yesterday, he thinks I will be fine , I will finish my antibiotics in the next few days so I should be all set! Now onto next weeks fill! I am ready to get back on the weight loss train! :thumbup:

When I was making bad food choices it was out of want not need. I would eat even when I wasn't hungry just because I wanted it. It can consume you, and still battle it everyday

I do the same thing as you but no brain surgery for me. I am just going to try to learn how to deal with it. But it has been a battle.