03 July 2012

Please Don't Feed the Lioness

OK, I had enough of those TT pictures.. so down they came..

I am really wondering if the band is going out of fashion as a WLS.
It seems a large number of people are moving to the sleeve. And I am just wondering if surgeon's are now pushing that option instead of the band.

Good, Bad or indifferent, I presume that over time the medical devices are going to improve.
Certainly Obesity is not going away in the United States, we just had a new weighloss drug approved, so i can imagine that will become the new magic pill.

I probably sound a bit off by my comments, but just like anything in life, if you don't stick with a certain limit and boundaries you are most likely going to fall off the bandwagon (so to speak).

I am now 32 months out with my band, and to this day I still can not figure certain things out.

For example:

1. On Sunday night I had maybe a 1/4 C of food for dinner and that was all I wanted.
2. Monday night I ate an entire (and I mean the whole thing) order of Bang Bang Shrimp, yup it tasted like it sounds and those suckers were deep fried and smothered with tangy hot sauce.
3. Last night I order a Capri salad and cup of soup.. resulting in three runs to the bathroom.

I just don't get it.
I am totally convinced stress snaps me closed.
In fact I can just think stressful things when I am hungry and it goes away.
But who the hell wants to think about stress to control their appetite.

But .. in the end, tight or not.. I NEVER have a problem eating peanut M&M's  I mean never...
what the hell is up with that!!

I have the next few days off, and I have to tell you I feel like I just want to crawl into bed and sleep them away... I have a full week of travel next week and I am not looking forward to it.  It's vacation season and nothing drives me more crazy than to deal with people who don't know what to do in a security line or where to put their luggage on a plane.. SIT DOWN ALREADY and what ever you do DON'T TALK to ME!!.. and no I don't want your peanuts!!

A Little b*tchy I know, but really, I am sick of people sneezing or coughing and not covering their nose and mouth.  Or better yet how about the free lance farters!!  oH yeah.. just let them loose.. in a hot stuffy plane..... PLEASE..

On a different topic, I am going through this I hate all of my clothes thing.. damn I remember the day that I was just glad I had clothes that fit, let alone a choice and now.. I am picky...

As I slowly wind down my work day, I want to wish our Canadian friends a belated Happy Canada Day and our US Friends a Happy Fourth of July and everyone else ... just a HAPPY Wednesday ..

Be good to yourself and most importantly be safe..

hugs
B

10 comments:

  1. I know that with my own doctor, the cost to do the sleeve is the same as it costs to to a band and for people with a lot of weight to lose, the sleeve just sounds like a better option than having to deal with restrictions. Not easier per se, because you still have to work, but if insurance covers the sleeve and you hear about people having band issues, they go with the lesser of two evils.

    That being said, I love my band and am 100% happy I went with this option. If I had issues, though, I'd consider the sleeve. I'm glad Mona and I have had a good working relationship for the most part. Stress does it for me though. It's sort of like my sign that I need to chill the heck out!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think my doc wanted to do sleeve on me, but he was very careful not to say that. The decision was mine and went with band. So far I'm happy. When I went for pre-op testing 2 other girls both getting sleeve

    ReplyDelete
  3. My doctor is educating me on the sleeve also since the band didn't work for long. Who knows.l..what a decision!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Enjoy the time off-- and bring along a device with ear plugs so that noone talks to you on the plane!! You look terrific, by the way, and you have the pix to prove it-- I loved them!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I missed your TT pics? Mine is coming up fast on 7/31. Do you have any words of wisdom for me? Things you wished you knew before you had it done? Did you have a pain pump? Email me if you can...jdt46x@yahoo.com

    Can you tell I'm getting nervous?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Barb
    First off, you look absolutely fantastic :) So glad Thelma and Louise and holding up so nicely.
    The nurse at my surgeon's office told me the other day that more and more people are opting for plication here now because they are put off by the band 'issues'. my concern about the sleeve and plication is the possibility of stretching due to mis use.... i have days I HATE Betsy, but I've never regretted my decision.
    It is frustrating, though. My band has been empty since Monday because it got toooooo tight. I made a decision this eve to keep it open til my surgeon gets back from surgery on 16th because I'd rather fight hunger and no restriction than get tight and he's not on island! I do honestly find that i get anxious about whether food will go down or if it will hurt... particularly if i'm presented with a huge plate that i know i can't eat. and i SWEAR the band tightens up as I'm thinking these things.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am always so hesitant to share my opinion regarding switching from lapband to sleeve bc they are just that..my own opinion, and I don't want to sound like I really know anything or offend anyone. With THAT said, Karin and I are lucky enough to meet with the marketing team and others (once a year) of the lap-band, and at our last gathering we spent a great deal of time talking about why doctors are pushing the sleeve. And like you kinda said, and like Stephanie said, it's the "newest" thing...just like the lapband once was...so it's exciting for doctors and patients alike...and it's appealing to patients bc they don't have to worry with fills and/or restriction. I am beyond happy that it is working so far for some of our girls (like Jacquie) but scared when I hear others place so much hope on a surgery...when the lapband didnt work out for them. My doctor refuses to do the sleeve, scared the beegeesus out of us a support group talking about two deaths and multiple esopagus (know idea how to spell it) surgeries from the few patients he has known who have had it done. He also said that now that there are patients 2 & 3 years out, that it looks like restretching the pouch is highly likely and then you are just screwed...bc unlike gastric bypass...where you can do a band over the bypass...with sleeve...its just stretched out. But who knows...in a couple of years there may be another alternative. I try to keep in mind that with all surgeries, there are good outcomes and bad outcomes. For some, it works wonders, for others...it fails. I think that if I had to get a revision though, I would choose gastric bypass. I just hope it never comes to that for me...that I never have to make that decision.

    and ps. the other day when I posted about inner peace, and I mentioned that some of the bloggers seemed to have a better handle on life, I swear I was thinking about YOU. So when you left that comment, I thought it was so crazy (in a good way), bc you were on my mind when I was writing that post.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I thought your TT looked fabulous. Concerning the sleeve conversions: I am happy with my band and I almost never abuse her (I am not implying that our sleeve friends caused their complications)so I hope she continues to love me. I worry about chasing the next best WLS for bandsters who are looking for a WLS that changes their head hunger. Every WLS can fail if you don't do the hard and head work. Remember how everyone of us bandsters admits to trying every new diet that came along? Could this be the same thing for some of us? Camille's last post was spot on. Dr. Tray

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey Barbara - since I've been 'out of it' for a while, I've come back to pictures of how FREAKING AWESOME you look. Wow-girl, to have a body like yours - that's something to work toward! I didn't know you had the TT done until I came over and read your blog. You really, REALLY look great!
    Aside from that, I agree with you about the sleeve being the next new thing. And also that as time goes on, my body changes in response to the band, or maybe I'm just still figuring it out. Heat, stress, and hormones affect me the most. And there are times I can eat everything - and others - I definitely feel the restriction. I kind of like that, though, b/c it allows me to really enjoy food - and also forces me to be much more restricted and not eat what I want - which is a great thing. I feel like I kinda get a 'day off' from the restriction sometimes and I like that. And on others, it tightens up and keeps me in line. I like that too - otherwise - I'd still be overeating and in the same place I was 3 years ago. I'm much happier with my body now. :)

    Glad you're doing well - sorry to hear you have to travel. I hate that too. Have a wonderful week!

    Rhonda

    ReplyDelete
  10. I met with my surgeon in April 2012. He told me he was against the sleeve. I was banded on June 27, 2012. And I get my first fill on Aug. 9th.

    ReplyDelete