Paula Bee

I drink water with the Special K powder twice a day to add the protein to my diet, since I don't feel like I am getting enough. The lemonade is my favorite.

Well, Dr. Miranda called it "pre-barfing." It reminds me of a cat coughing up a hairball. It happens when you eat too fast, take too big of bites, don't chew well, or eat something that just "sticks" when you swallow. (White bread/flour products do it to me.) The food doesn't reach your stomach, so you are not throwing up stomach acid and salivia. It sort of "hangs" in your throat, causing pain until you cough or barf it up. It really hurts, which certainly discourages me from repeating whatever behavior that caused it. Yay for the lapband for doing its job!

I walked today.. I hated it, sweated, kinda bitched and moaned about waiting til noon to walk, but I did it. The funny thing is that my pomeranian hates walking, too. He can be wagging, happy, playing, and when he hears the word "walk" he slunks close to the floor, his tail droops behind him, and he heads under the bed as fast as he can. Ironically, I have started taking little "foodies" to reward him with as we walk. I am hoping that he will begin to associate the leash with rewards and then I can slowly wean him off of them. I hate exercise so much that you couldn't bribe me with a lobster dinner or good chocolate to do it. BUT.. I did it.. I did have to take the expected pain pill this afternoon, and will need another at bedtime, but it is nice not to hurt so badly from the walk. I am thankful for pain medicine that I don't like to take to help with a walk I don't want to take either. Like me, all mixed up.

That is EXACTLY what happened to me... exactly.. hurt for about 3 hours afterwards. :lb20:

Yep.. I hate to be gross, but it reminds me of a cat coughing up a hairball.

That is a very good question that I have not heard addressed before in the forum. Any of our nurses have any imput?

YAYYYYYYYY so happy for you!

Wow, Michelle! You are a doll for looking that up. I tried, but couldn't find any picture that made me understand better. Yours are perfect. I will tactfully try to get her to change back to lapband, but one reason she loves me is that I am so supportive of her. Seems to be a breach of her trust almost. Well, at least I am better informed now, but I cannot figure out why anyone would do that instead of lapband. Thanks for all opinions.. you guys are why I log on here.

I seem to be dominating the board this morning, but I noticed something today that I hadn't noticed before. I have a bra extension where my bra hooks in the back, and today when I put it on, I had to hook it two loops closer. One more loop, and I won't need the extention anymore. That is one of my "I can't wait til..." items.. to fasten my bra with no bra extention. I haven't lost a pound in about 10 days, but this is just as exciting. Sometimes body mass decreases even without weight loss. HOORAY!

Thank you so much for sharing... I hope I will be as successful a year from now. You are an inspiration.

I have a friend that was scheduled to have lapband surgery on May 9th. She has great insurance, so she is having it done in her home city. She has had to go to all the meetings required by that dr. and last night she attended the one with the dieticion and one of the doctor's assistants. Today she went for her appointment with her surgeon, and decided to change to the VGB surgery. She said it involved some stitches in the stomach and then a mesh ring that didn't require fills. I am aghast, but I am not really sure what vgb is... It cannot be as safe as the lapband. She is so happy for her upcoming procedure that I don't want to discourage her... she has 165 pounds to lose. Anyone know what to do?

Yep.. if you have the "big" pain pills, exercise anyway. He said if I was hurting BEFORE I walk, to take it about an hour before, then take another one later in the afternoon if I am in too much pain to nap or rest. He told me that 2 percoset a day wasn't going to make anyone an addict. Everyone in my situation, take your meds and get to walking. If you don't have big pain meds and you are hurting, go talk to your doctor or work your way into a pain management doctor.

Welcome to our group! I am glad you finally got on!

I am 5 weeks post-op and barely feel any restriction at all, but that is not the point in this stage. Just healing.. I get my first fill on May 6th and then I will worry about restriction.

WOOT! We are all proud of your for beating the smoking issue and now taking the next step in your positive lifestyle. :lb13:

I agree that there is healthy and unhealthy, and my doctor views this as unhealthy. One other thing mentioned was the pride in completing the post-op diet. I think pride in accomplishment is as important as weight loss for those of us with terrible self-esteem. One thing I noticed on Biggest Loser (which I don't have access to,) is that every time the contestants completed one of the terribly difficult challenges, (and they all completed all of them,) they had a TREMENDOUS self-esteem boost in doing something they didn't believe possible. I have to believe that completing the 3 weeks post-op really did the same for me.. I was PROUD of myself. I hope you feel the same pride in yourself after your three weeks are over.

I will be praying for you. Try to think of it positively.. he will find the issue tonight, you can deal with it, then it will be past. Thinking good thoughts for you...

YAY! YAY! YAY! Finally! This is encouraging to everyone facing their first fill! Relieved! :lb16:

Anything you can blend and then drink through a straw counts as liquid as per Dr. Mirands's instructions. (Don't use a straw, though.. will add air to your stomach.)

Okay... today I followed my pain management doctor's instructions and walked for 30 minutes. My knee and hip were hurting about halfway through, and when I got home, I iced my knee. Later today I expect I will have to take something for it, but at least I won't feel guilty about it, since that is what I was instructed to do. I just keep telling myself that it hurts now, but every pound off will cause it to hurt less in the future. I never have liked exercise of any kind, but used my knees, ankles, and lower back as an excuse not to do anything. Guess my excuses have run out. Score one for Dr. Gabor! Score a million for me for starting to walk.

I went to my pain management doctor today, and he was thrilled about the weight loss. He said that every pound lost above the knees relieves 35 pounds of pressure on your knees and ankles. I told him that I am trying to walk the dogs 30 minutes a day in the morning, but by the afternoon I am hurting so badly that I can hardly move from my chair. He asked me if I was taking my major pain killer, and I said no, that I was afraid to take narcotics every day. He told me to walk, then treat the pain. He said that if it hurts every time I walk, that I will grow more and more reluctant to do it because of pain association. So, looks like the big pain pill every afternoon. He really was thrilled over my weight loss, and said that it will postpone my need for knee replacement surgery indefinately. Yippee.

I am so very sorry for your loss, and pray that the peace of God that passes all understanding surrounds you and your family.

Nope, if I was ill they would see me the next day, probably. Sometimes they work you in the same day. For appointments about prescriptions or medical tests, there is a long wait. I will just try not to worry about it.

I had some blood work done about 4 weeks after my surgery, and some of it is much better, and some of it is questionable to me.. I don't know what it means. Blood sugar, normal Kidney test - slightly abnormal liver test - normal triglycerides- 172 (improved) Cholesterol - 199 (improved) Hdl (good) cholesterol - 56 (improved) LDL (bad) cholesterol - 109 (improved) blood cell count showed elevated red blood cell count. thyroid - normal Not sure what the kidney test and elevated red blood cell count mean... I will make an appointment with my doctor to discuss this, but it will take about 6 weeks before I see her.

Glad you are back... you were missed!