Recent Posts
Topic: RE: Happy Anniversary to Me!!! - xpost
Wow you look absolutely gorgeous ! congrats to you !!! I hope I look as good as you post op x 1 yr !
Topic: RE: Update
Cheryl - I was just thinking of you all the other day!
I'm so glad to hear that things are on the upswing
Leslie
I'm so glad to hear that things are on the upswing
Leslie
Be happy.
Topic: RE: Guest Speaker at Centennial's Monday Night Support Group
I think all I can respond is WOW! I know several adults diagnosed with ADD (why should the kids have all the fun?)
See you soon! Have a great weekend.
See you soon! Have a great weekend.
Pam Davis, Certified Bariatric Nurse, Bariatric Program Director
Centennial Center for the Treatment of Obesity
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Centennial Center for the Treatment of Obesity
Join our Message Board - Click here!
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We're on Twitter - Click here!
Topic: Update
Well it is getting closer and closer. I should "hopefully "have my last testing done next friday and if all goes well with that then I'm done. I do have about 40 lbs to loose before paperwork can be summited. I have been on at least 2 liquid meals a day sometimes all 3. This started this past monday. I should have gotten off my butt long before now and done this, but I can't and won't beat myself up about it. It has been done and I now need to focus on the future and get-r-done........LOL
Yesterday, Dr. Williams told me that he is pretty sure that he will be able to do it lap and not have to open me up, but there is always a chance of that once he gets in and see's everything. There is some scar tissue where the band was but he expected that. I am cool with that, I know that he will do whatever is the safest for me.
I have come such a long way since my emergency lapband removal this past Oct. not to mention all the stress of loosing our house and van.
So things are looking up for the Parker's once again and we are really starting to move forward. Phil (DH) is having his lapband adjustment on Oct 1st, I am so excited for him. This will be his 1st adjustment in over a year. We both are looking forward to that. We attended our 1st support group in such a long time this week. It felt REALLY good to get back into that again. We met several new folks and seen some of the vetrans. It was a great time for us both.
So that is about it for now. You will be seeing me more on here than you have the last several months. I will be watching for new and old support groups dates and times. We are also on FB, so give us a shout on there.
Hope everyone has a awesome day. We are headed to the zoo today with my mom and dad. I'm not sure how long the zoo has been here, but I have never been. I'm excited to finally be able to go.
Cheryl
k9ophile
on 9/16/10 10:36 pm
on 9/16/10 10:36 pm
Topic: RE: Cookeville Lunch and DS Support Group
Boo hoo hoo, you big tease! I saw this as a teaser recent post then went to the full message. We're just as much fun as dogs, maybe just not as cute. Maybe the third Sat in Oct you can make it. We have several fine restaurants in Cookeville that aren't attached to gas stations and a few that are. Well, if you like pizza and subs... Bwahahaha!
"Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us." Stephen Covey
Don't litter! Spay or neuter your pet
Topic: RE: Happy Anniversary to Me!!! - xpost
Lookin good Cynthia. Gotten any new heels lately??
I'm proud of you girl!
Susan (AKA bilsrib)
300/135/135 - Plastics February 2008 - Dr. Lois Wagstrom
P E A C E - It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.
Denise M.
on 9/16/10 10:26 pm
on 9/16/10 10:26 pm
Topic: RE: Cookeville Lunch and DS Support Group
One of these days, I'm gonna drag myself out to Cookeville!!! I wanna meet you and hunt down that Amy and Connor to give them hugs!!!
Got Dog Days this weekend, so I can't make it. But I'm gonna someday! SOMEDAY!!!
Got Dog Days this weekend, so I can't make it. But I'm gonna someday! SOMEDAY!!!
Denise M.
on 9/16/10 10:24 pm
on 9/16/10 10:24 pm
Topic: RE: What was I thinking??!!
Sher, I feel your anguish. I really do. I have a lot of problems with these noisy impulsive thoughts. Sometimes when they say EAT THAT CRAP, it's just easier to do it to shut them up. It's like being on auto pilot.
It's a huge pain in the butt. HUGE.
I recently bought a book called 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food by Susan Albers, Psy.D.
It's small (will fit in your purse or desk drawer) and not very expensive, so it's worth a look. It's about being mindful and not just doing the automatic response to stress--eating impulsively.
She breaks down the 50 different ways to soothe yourself in categories:
1. mindful meditation techniques (breathing, meditating, etc)
2. change your thoughts, change your eating (journaling, laughing, affirmations)
3. soothing sensations (addressing your senses, exercise, baths, etc.)
4. soothing distractions (crafts, gardening, etc)
5. soothing with social relationships (buddies, blogs, pets, etc)
Obviously, you can't jump into the tub when you're stuck at a desk answering the phones. BUT, you could keep a small spiral notebook in your desk and do a quick journaling exercise, like just writing down your feelings in a few words. Getting mindful about what you're feeling, not just stuffing the feelings down with candy. Then dumping. Then feeling worse by perpetuating the cycle.
See if the library has a copy you can check out. The whole book may not be 100% useful, but you might find a few things in it that would work for you.
Good luck and know you're not alone!
Personally I think obesity is caused in our heads, not our digestive tracts. WLS is only one aspect of it all.
It's a huge pain in the butt. HUGE.
I recently bought a book called 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food by Susan Albers, Psy.D.
It's small (will fit in your purse or desk drawer) and not very expensive, so it's worth a look. It's about being mindful and not just doing the automatic response to stress--eating impulsively.
She breaks down the 50 different ways to soothe yourself in categories:
1. mindful meditation techniques (breathing, meditating, etc)
2. change your thoughts, change your eating (journaling, laughing, affirmations)
3. soothing sensations (addressing your senses, exercise, baths, etc.)
4. soothing distractions (crafts, gardening, etc)
5. soothing with social relationships (buddies, blogs, pets, etc)
Obviously, you can't jump into the tub when you're stuck at a desk answering the phones. BUT, you could keep a small spiral notebook in your desk and do a quick journaling exercise, like just writing down your feelings in a few words. Getting mindful about what you're feeling, not just stuffing the feelings down with candy. Then dumping. Then feeling worse by perpetuating the cycle.
See if the library has a copy you can check out. The whole book may not be 100% useful, but you might find a few things in it that would work for you.
Good luck and know you're not alone!
Personally I think obesity is caused in our heads, not our digestive tracts. WLS is only one aspect of it all.
Denise M.
on 9/16/10 10:10 pm
on 9/16/10 10:10 pm
Topic: RE: Guest Speaker at Centennial's Monday Night Support Group
Here's the tale of my ADHD testing! It was sooooo fun! I was telling the story to another OH member that I've met several times.
So I went to my first session and was prattling on (remember when we were in the car and you were like, That's nice Denise but it wasn't the answer to the question I asked. Reeeeel it in! yeah, like that but $150 an hour) . . . uh, I was prattling along about something I was doing at home and said, I can't finish anything. Whether it's work stuff, home stuff, whatever, I pretty much suck at follow through.
"Really?" she said. "Have you ever been tested for ADHD?" I about leapt out of my chair. Or off my comfy couch. I told her, "As a matter of fact, I begged to be tested for ADHD but the guy I saw attributed my inability to focus on some mysterious but likely underlying medical condition."
A few days later, I was chillin' with Josh, doing the testing!
First was the WASI intelligence test, which was fun. My favorite part was with the blocks. You have 9 blocks. The blocks have solid red sides, solid white sides or half red & white on the diagonal. You are shown a pattern of red and white and you have to create the same pattern with the blocks.
FUN! I could do that all day! First you made patterns with 4 blocks. Easy peasy. Then they bump it up to 9 blocks. THEN they stop drawing the outline of the blocks, so you don't quite know if the 9 blocks should be in a diamond or square. I was like, "Oh Josh! You're getting sneaky on me taking out the grid!"
The most fun was the Rorschach blot (OMG I spelled it right the first time!). I probably could have whipped through it if I just said, "Vagina. Vagina. Vagina." But I'm quirky, so I'm going on and on about all this crazy crap I see. Ultimately everything looked like pissed off insects to me.
The last card, right side up, reminded me of a Lobster King . . .
He is the crazy Lobster King, with his blue crab buddies (they're the kind of crab with the one big assed claw, fyi I told him). He has a crazy, external thyroid, a blue bikini top and crazy green booties! Oh but wait! If you flip him upside down . . .
Look! Now he's the Angry Grassssshopperrrrrrr! He's got angry green eyebrows, hideous yellow eyes, wee blue spectacles and now in retrospect, he has a goatee. Or a Van Dyke. Or whatever you call that.
Anyway I'm taking this card and walking it across the desk going, "GRRR! I'm the Angry Grasshopper!" Then I have the dawning realization that probably most people over the age of 8 would likely not be doing this behavior.
Meanwhile, Josh is writing furiously on his paper and I am trying to not look. At this point, I don't wanna know.
The next test is the Continuous Performance Test.
You sit in front of a computer and this awful program comes up. Hello? No one programs in DOS anymore! Anyway, there's this Murphy Brown on Quaaludes voice and she says, very monotonally I might add, "When you see the number one, click the mouse. The number will always be one." So you figure out to click the mouse when you see the number one. Then they add see or HEAR the number one, click the mouse.
To make it super duper challenging, then they throw in a two. The number will always be two. Don't click when you see or hear two, DO click when you see or hear one. Fine. Let's get on with it.
The next 15 minutes (the actual testing time) were the longest 15 minutes I've lived in a long time!
1 (screen). Oh, click!
1 click
2 ha ha, you didn't trick me!
whunnnnnnnn (voice) Oooh speaker! click
twooooo
twooooo
twoooooooooo
whunnnnnnnnnnn
1
2
Now at this point I have decided to watch the speaker because that is where the voice is coming from. I have heard her mutter whunnnnnnnnnn so many times that the word is starting to sound funny to me. While I'm watching the speaker, waiting for her to speak again, I realize I have missed a ton of 1s flashing on the screen.
I furiously click the mouse--crap! I missed the ones! But now it's flashing and saying a series of twos! DOH!
Then my palm started getting sweaty. Can I wipe it off during twos? What if there are not enough twos and I miss a whunnnnnnnnnnn??? I wonder if there's a camera in here? Josh conveniently left for a potty break. He must be somewhere watching me on closed circuit tv, right?
whunnnnnnnnn
1
2
2
two
2
1
2
whunnnnnnnnn Tee hee! she said whunnnnnnnn! Now I'm saying out loud and forgetting to click the mouse. Like saying it will substitute for a click. WHUNNNNNNN! Now I'm saying it with goofy voices. WHUNNNNNNNNNNNN! Who the hell emphasizes the H in One?? Who actually says WHUNNNNNNN? Did they make her say it that way on purpose, to be irritating? How many takes did they do to get it just right? WHUNNNNNNNNN!
The test finally ended and not a second too soon! I was hopelessly clicking like a fool. I don't know what just happened!
I just thought it was hilarious and really hoped that someone was watching me remotely. It was almost as entertaining as watching my singlehandedly put an allergy cover on my queen sized box springs!
Today, Dr. L said that Josh had great fun testing me and was immensely entertained. Kid has a good poker face, that's for sure! I just took it as a good sign that I was able to leave after my testing--no one came to forcibly take me away.
It was a long 2 weeks and I was desperately hoping Dr. L would spill some details to me before support group meeting on Monday, but she didn't. Grrr. She asked me at the beginning of our session if I wanted to talk about my collage first (she had me make a collage of stuff I liked) or the test. I said TEST! So we talked about collage. Hey! I was DUPED!
Finally, in the last 10 minutes, she gave me my results. Oh yeah, happy dance!
Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type
So I went to my first session and was prattling on (remember when we were in the car and you were like, That's nice Denise but it wasn't the answer to the question I asked. Reeeeel it in! yeah, like that but $150 an hour) . . . uh, I was prattling along about something I was doing at home and said, I can't finish anything. Whether it's work stuff, home stuff, whatever, I pretty much suck at follow through.
"Really?" she said. "Have you ever been tested for ADHD?" I about leapt out of my chair. Or off my comfy couch. I told her, "As a matter of fact, I begged to be tested for ADHD but the guy I saw attributed my inability to focus on some mysterious but likely underlying medical condition."
A few days later, I was chillin' with Josh, doing the testing!
First was the WASI intelligence test, which was fun. My favorite part was with the blocks. You have 9 blocks. The blocks have solid red sides, solid white sides or half red & white on the diagonal. You are shown a pattern of red and white and you have to create the same pattern with the blocks.
FUN! I could do that all day! First you made patterns with 4 blocks. Easy peasy. Then they bump it up to 9 blocks. THEN they stop drawing the outline of the blocks, so you don't quite know if the 9 blocks should be in a diamond or square. I was like, "Oh Josh! You're getting sneaky on me taking out the grid!"
The most fun was the Rorschach blot (OMG I spelled it right the first time!). I probably could have whipped through it if I just said, "Vagina. Vagina. Vagina." But I'm quirky, so I'm going on and on about all this crazy crap I see. Ultimately everything looked like pissed off insects to me.
The last card, right side up, reminded me of a Lobster King . . .
He is the crazy Lobster King, with his blue crab buddies (they're the kind of crab with the one big assed claw, fyi I told him). He has a crazy, external thyroid, a blue bikini top and crazy green booties! Oh but wait! If you flip him upside down . . .
Look! Now he's the Angry Grassssshopperrrrrrr! He's got angry green eyebrows, hideous yellow eyes, wee blue spectacles and now in retrospect, he has a goatee. Or a Van Dyke. Or whatever you call that.
Anyway I'm taking this card and walking it across the desk going, "GRRR! I'm the Angry Grasshopper!" Then I have the dawning realization that probably most people over the age of 8 would likely not be doing this behavior.
Meanwhile, Josh is writing furiously on his paper and I am trying to not look. At this point, I don't wanna know.
The next test is the Continuous Performance Test.
You sit in front of a computer and this awful program comes up. Hello? No one programs in DOS anymore! Anyway, there's this Murphy Brown on Quaaludes voice and she says, very monotonally I might add, "When you see the number one, click the mouse. The number will always be one." So you figure out to click the mouse when you see the number one. Then they add see or HEAR the number one, click the mouse.
To make it super duper challenging, then they throw in a two. The number will always be two. Don't click when you see or hear two, DO click when you see or hear one. Fine. Let's get on with it.
The next 15 minutes (the actual testing time) were the longest 15 minutes I've lived in a long time!
1 (screen). Oh, click!
1 click
2 ha ha, you didn't trick me!
whunnnnnnnn (voice) Oooh speaker! click
twooooo
twooooo
twoooooooooo
whunnnnnnnnnnn
1
2
Now at this point I have decided to watch the speaker because that is where the voice is coming from. I have heard her mutter whunnnnnnnnnn so many times that the word is starting to sound funny to me. While I'm watching the speaker, waiting for her to speak again, I realize I have missed a ton of 1s flashing on the screen.
I furiously click the mouse--crap! I missed the ones! But now it's flashing and saying a series of twos! DOH!
Then my palm started getting sweaty. Can I wipe it off during twos? What if there are not enough twos and I miss a whunnnnnnnnnnn??? I wonder if there's a camera in here? Josh conveniently left for a potty break. He must be somewhere watching me on closed circuit tv, right?
whunnnnnnnnn
1
2
2
two
2
1
2
whunnnnnnnnn Tee hee! she said whunnnnnnnn! Now I'm saying out loud and forgetting to click the mouse. Like saying it will substitute for a click. WHUNNNNNNN! Now I'm saying it with goofy voices. WHUNNNNNNNNNNNN! Who the hell emphasizes the H in One?? Who actually says WHUNNNNNNN? Did they make her say it that way on purpose, to be irritating? How many takes did they do to get it just right? WHUNNNNNNNNN!
The test finally ended and not a second too soon! I was hopelessly clicking like a fool. I don't know what just happened!
I just thought it was hilarious and really hoped that someone was watching me remotely. It was almost as entertaining as watching my singlehandedly put an allergy cover on my queen sized box springs!
Today, Dr. L said that Josh had great fun testing me and was immensely entertained. Kid has a good poker face, that's for sure! I just took it as a good sign that I was able to leave after my testing--no one came to forcibly take me away.
It was a long 2 weeks and I was desperately hoping Dr. L would spill some details to me before support group meeting on Monday, but she didn't. Grrr. She asked me at the beginning of our session if I wanted to talk about my collage first (she had me make a collage of stuff I liked) or the test. I said TEST! So we talked about collage. Hey! I was DUPED!
Finally, in the last 10 minutes, she gave me my results. Oh yeah, happy dance!
Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type
Denise M.
on 9/16/10 10:06 pm
on 9/16/10 10:06 pm
Topic: RE: Guest Speaker at Centennial's Monday Night Support Group
You're such a sweetheart, Pam!
YES, TOTALLY!
You are more than welcome to remind Dr. L how much I adore her!!! I think she's an incredible asset to Centennial's program. She was definitely the key to unlocking my crazy padlock and I am making changes in my life that I though I'd never be able to with her help.
Also, you have my permission to have any patients that are interested in seeing her contact me about my experience with her and Athena Consulting (no worries, it'll be rave reviews all around--I love Whittan, the clinic dog!).
I'd be more than happy to tell them first hand how she works with me (incredible listener--like she HEARS you, comes up with great suggestions and exercises to get you thinking, etc.) and how it has helped me.
Everyone's different and some people might need a more In Your Face person, but she is very insightful and meshes with my personality and psychological needs very well.
Like I said before, I was having a really rough summer last year.
I was a few months out from my surgery and hungry all the time. Not getting a lot of clinic support. I had a puppy that was wreaking havoc on my house and other dogs--incredibly stressful. I went to a psychologist and begged to be tested for ADD--something was not right. I couldn't concentrate, I could finish anything, my thoughts were all over the place.
He wrote me off and said it was likely an underlying medical issue and I should get a sleep study or something.
Sigh.
Within the first 20 minutes at our first one on one appointment, I was telling Dr. L how I sucked at follow through (no more buying self help books--you have a stack of 203598 and have read the first 3 chapters in all of 'em. FINISH ONE, then we'll talk!). She ****ed her head and said, "Have you ever been tested for ADHD?"
I damn near fell off the couch! WHAT?!?
Talk to one guy for an hour, begging for testing--naaaaah. Talk to her for 20 minutes and she's like, let's get you tested! OMG!
Getting diagnosed with ADHD has seriously changed EVERYTHING. And I will say that the lap band is NOT the surgery to get if you have ADHD and impulsive thought issues. So we're working on that.
And if it weren't for Dr. Livengood, I'd still be struggling with my Oh Shiny! bouncing thoughts. So I am a super happy camper patient!!!!! LOVE HER!
I'll paste in another reply the story of my ADHD testing adventures. It doesn't take much to amuse me!
YES, TOTALLY!
You are more than welcome to remind Dr. L how much I adore her!!! I think she's an incredible asset to Centennial's program. She was definitely the key to unlocking my crazy padlock and I am making changes in my life that I though I'd never be able to with her help.
Also, you have my permission to have any patients that are interested in seeing her contact me about my experience with her and Athena Consulting (no worries, it'll be rave reviews all around--I love Whittan, the clinic dog!).
I'd be more than happy to tell them first hand how she works with me (incredible listener--like she HEARS you, comes up with great suggestions and exercises to get you thinking, etc.) and how it has helped me.
Everyone's different and some people might need a more In Your Face person, but she is very insightful and meshes with my personality and psychological needs very well.
Like I said before, I was having a really rough summer last year.
I was a few months out from my surgery and hungry all the time. Not getting a lot of clinic support. I had a puppy that was wreaking havoc on my house and other dogs--incredibly stressful. I went to a psychologist and begged to be tested for ADD--something was not right. I couldn't concentrate, I could finish anything, my thoughts were all over the place.
He wrote me off and said it was likely an underlying medical issue and I should get a sleep study or something.
Sigh.
Within the first 20 minutes at our first one on one appointment, I was telling Dr. L how I sucked at follow through (no more buying self help books--you have a stack of 203598 and have read the first 3 chapters in all of 'em. FINISH ONE, then we'll talk!). She ****ed her head and said, "Have you ever been tested for ADHD?"
I damn near fell off the couch! WHAT?!?
Talk to one guy for an hour, begging for testing--naaaaah. Talk to her for 20 minutes and she's like, let's get you tested! OMG!
Getting diagnosed with ADHD has seriously changed EVERYTHING. And I will say that the lap band is NOT the surgery to get if you have ADHD and impulsive thought issues. So we're working on that.
And if it weren't for Dr. Livengood, I'd still be struggling with my Oh Shiny! bouncing thoughts. So I am a super happy camper patient!!!!! LOVE HER!
I'll paste in another reply the story of my ADHD testing adventures. It doesn't take much to amuse me!
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