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).

Okay I promised I will post a pic of me. So here is my family and I today at my son's 14th birthday.

Hey gals,

It's been awhile. Im still stuck at a 50lb loss. Im slightly disappointed, but on the other hand I haven't been this size since I was 14 years old.

It has seemed to be one thing after another this year. I ended up having exploratory surgery in May to find the source of my abdominal pain and it turned out I had severe adhesions from the band surgery. My intestines were adhered to my diaphram and my spleen was plastered with adhesions. I feel so much better since my surgery!

This Friday I was in a hurry, hadn't eaten anything, so I took a few bites of dry tuna and ran off shopping with my friend. I didn't feel quit right. Things got worse and I couldnt even swallow water and it was terrribly painful to lay down. I went to the ER in the morning and the tuna was lodged in my band. I had to have an endoscopy and have the tuna taken out. It was terribly embarassing since I happen to know the Gastroenterologist that was on call. He was totally professional about it, but I still felt kinda dumb. I was supposed to get my first fill since having my band totally deflated in March, but after this incident Im certain my surgeon will not let me. Oh well, just one more little set back.

Anyways, I hope you are all doing well and not having as much excitement as me. I'm hoping I can get my health and eating on a better track soon.

Okay I promised I will post a pic of me. So here is my family and I today at my son's 14th birthday.

Looking good!:thumbup:

Hey gals,

It's been awhile. Im still stuck at a 50lb loss. Im slightly disappointed, but on the other hand I haven't been this size since I was 14 years old.

It has seemed to be one thing after another this year. I ended up having exploratory surgery in May to find the source of my abdominal pain and it turned out I had severe adhesions from the band surgery. My intestines were adhered to my diaphram and my spleen was plastered with adhesions. I feel so much better since my surgery!

This Friday I was in a hurry, hadn't eaten anything, so I took a few bites of dry tuna and ran off shopping with my friend. I didn't feel quit right. Things got worse and I couldnt even swallow water and it was terrribly painful to lay down. I went to the ER in the morning and the tuna was lodged in my band. I had to have an endoscopy and have the tuna taken out. It was terribly embarassing since I happen to know the Gastroenterologist that was on call. He was totally professional about it, but I still felt kinda dumb. I was supposed to get my first fill since having my band totally deflated in March, but after this incident Im certain my surgeon will not let me. Oh well, just one more little set back.

Anyways, I hope you are all doing well and not having as much excitement as me. I'm hoping I can get my health and eating on a better track soon.

Sorry to hear of all your trouble, Here's hoping alls well from here on out.

Edited July 27, 200917 yr by kimaly
bad typing

How can the tuna get stuck? That is so scary!

Gosh you have been through a lot!

There is many disappointments so far with July Butterflies. Makes me still wonder. I am still eating ice cream but I think I am getting more active. Lots more active since the band so that is a very very good thing. I used to be very active until the eating lead me into hell.

How can the tuna get stuck? That is so scary!

I got stuck on a poched egg yesterday. I think I just eat to fast still. Slowing down has really been hard for me. I was a hair stylist and I'm so use to eating on the run It's just a really hard habit to break. I don't think I sat down for lunch in 30 years. It really sucks. Try to stay away from the ice cream, I'm almost sure it's one of the seven deadly sins! :smile2:

I got stuck on a poched egg yesterday. I think I just eat to fast still. Slowing down has really been hard for me. I was a hair stylist and I'm so use to eating on the run It's just a really hard habit to break. I don't think I sat down for lunch in 30 years. It really sucks. Try to stay away from the ice cream, I'm almost sure it's one of the seven deadly sins! :smile2:

Yep, eating too fast has always been a problem for me. I am getting better.

You know you need a fill when you can eat a slice of thin crust pizza and not get stuck. Going thursday. Pizza was my SIGN. I haven't eaten pizza since my band.

Whatever my fill level eggs seem to cause problems for me, especially scrambled. I'm able to eat pizza no matter what my fill level too, but very, very, very, slowly and lots of chewing. Now I have half a piece, not half a pizza!

I haven't been able to eat anything with bread since banding so pizza isn't a coice for me. But I have to confess that I did eat the toppings off a piece a couple of times when I took the grandbabbies to chuckie cheeses And it was SOoooooo good. I can eat scrambled egg beaters, haven't seem to have a problem with them. These days most of my meals consist of eather fat free cottage cheese, deli meat(shredded) and steamed vegs. And don't forget the morning protein drink. I think I'm addicted to them now. Kinda sad I guess.

Wow, I can eat a slice of thin crust pizza, with no problem. Only now, I eat 1 slice from a medium instead of 3 or 4. Weirdly enough, though, I also can NOT do scrambled eggs very often. I really don't understand that at all.

The amounts of food I eat now amaze me. I really was in denial prior to banding. I didn't think I ate way too much, I guess because those around me eat just as much, but they have higher metabolisms.

Ex: we ate at IHOP last weekend and I had 1 pancake and half of a egg and cheese omelet. A year ago I would have devoured an entire order of 3eggs/3pancakes with a side of toast.

The next day we went to Cracker Barrel and I ate 1 biscuit, 1 egg and about 1/4 c of mashed potatoes. Before I would have eaten at least 3 of the biscuits BEFORE my meal even arrived.

My weight loss is almost non-existent for now, and will continue to stall, I am sure, until I begin exercising. That is no one's fault but my own. I guess when I am ready to get off my lazy butt and move, I will begin losing again.

I also need to begin journaling my food again. I haven't done it in about 3 weeks and I am very disappointed in myself for it. It is one of the reasons I was able to lose the 80+ lbs I have so far.

On that note, I will leave and go login to my fitday account. Time to get back to doing what worked for me.

Goodnight, butterflies

I would like to eat a biscuit just once in awhile. But I guess it's best I can't because I was a bread addict before banding. But oh how I miss it. I also can't seem to get into the exercise thing. I'm not lazy because I stay busy Just hate exercise, I just can't seem to find anything I really enjoy. Never did really get into sports even as a child. Guess I'm just to girly.

The Doc. is concerned about my cholesterol and gave me a list of foods to avoid and I just felt like sitting down and crying because my diet is so limited now and he just wiped half the stuff I could eat out. It just pissed me off although he asures me it's not my fault it was just something I was born with and it also has something to do with the fact I can't process carbs which causes the weight issues. It didn't make me feel any better and now I'm gonna be on meds for the rest of my life according to him. That sucks because I got off all the meds I was on a month after banding and was very proud of that. Well, enough whinning for one day as I'm sure people have a lot worse issues to deal with. Just had to get out a little fustration, as always thanks for listening.

My mom has a bad cholesterol gene also. Hers has been over 600 before! She is now in the upper 200s due to being on years of meds. Her family doesn't live long... her dad died at 36, mom at 57 and younger sister at 42, all from heart attacks. I, luckily, did not apparently inherit that from her, but instead health-wise took after my dad. Unfortunately, I also inherited his family's ugly legs and aching joints too! I'm serious, those two people should have never procreated. The running morbid joke between my brothers and I is, if we live long enough to turn 60, we won't be able to walk! :biggrin:

That's so sad and at the same time funny as you know what. I guess we all have our crosses to bare. I hope your mother is doing good now and as for the joint pain that can be a terrible thing, I have a sister with those problems and she always tells me how bad it is.

My mom has a bad cholesterol gene also. Hers has been over 600 before! She is now in the upper 200s due to being on years of meds. Her family doesn't live long... her dad died at 36, mom at 57 and younger sister at 42, all from heart attacks. I, luckily, did not apparently inherit that from her, but instead health-wise took after my dad. Unfortunately, I also inherited his family's ugly legs and aching joints too! I'm serious, those two people should have never procreated. The running morbid joke between my brothers and I is, if we live long enough to turn 60, we won't be able to walk! :juggle:

I know what you mean about genetics. You have to make lite of it or you will worry yourself to death. We have some of the same crappy genes in our family too.....mainly the fat gene.

I know what you mean about genetics. You have to make lite of it or you will worry yourself to death. We have some of the same crappy genes in our family too.....mainly the fat gene.

Oh, and I hate when the fat gene is combined with the heart disease and arthritis gene, like we have. And THAT is why I got my band. I want to be able to give my body the CHANCE to walk. It just isn't fair to expect my poor knees, ankles, and feet to support 300lb. That must have really sucked for them. I am happy to say that I haven't woke up in pain in almost 9 months. Prior to losing this weight, I woke up, every single day, in so much pain I was almost in tears. I just couldn't do that anymore. Thankfully, now, I don't have to.:juggle: