Thank You Deborah

[Guest guest]

Thank you for posting back.

I would love to get the band but in reading the posts for 3 years they

seem like such a hassle with the fills and not to mention minimal

weight loss and long plateaus. Most seem to complain about how

frustrated they are and no one knows if they need or have enough fill.

I met a woman in the market that had the band and she made me promise

her to never have it done. She never lost a pound. She was about 500

lbs. and in a wheel chair.

The band sounds the safest. I wish I could consider that but have just

heard too many negatives.

Please reply,

much thanks.

Vicki...

[Guest guest]

Vicki,

I love my band. I have several friends that have had either the gastric bypass or the gastric stapling and most of them are not satisfied with it now. They can suffer from malnutrition, because they don't absorb all the nutrients from their foods. I am not trying to change your mind, but please listen to the people on this board, especially the ones that have been banded for over1 year. Most of them have reached their goal. Yes sometimes it can be a hassle with the fills, but once you get to the "sweet spot" it is wonderful. I think if you ask most of us on this board the great things about the band far outweigh any problems. Please just read up on all the surgeries before making your decision. Good Luck.

Bobo

DOB 6/22/07

253 245/202/145

Re: Thank you Deborah

Thank you for posting back.I would love to get the band but in reading the posts for 3 years they seem like such a hassle with the fills and not to mention minimal weight loss and long plateaus. Most seem to complain about how frustrated they are and no one knows if they need or have enough fill.I met a woman in the market that had the band and she made me promise her to never have it done. She never lost a pound. She was about 500 lbs. and in a wheel chair.The band sounds the safest. I wish I could consider that but have just heard too many negatives.Please reply,much thanks.Vicki...

Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside . See how.

[Guest guest]

Vicki

My sister in law works with someone who got a lapband and she said she

never lost a pound either. In the next breath she said " but she never

went back to get it filled " !!! Well, DUH!! Like someone on this board

once said " a band that isnt filled is like tires with no air " So, for

the most part, that is BS if someone works with the band, it will work

for them. Especially someone who weighs 500 lbs. Not trying to persuade

you, just htink its important to know the real FACTS before making a

decision. The bottom line is, once you have really educated yourself,

you will then be armed to make the decision as to what surgery is right

for you.

It is your body afterall!

Deborah

[Guest guest]

frustration comes from not knowing. having this band is not what i

expected it to be. i read 'tool' a million times and didnt really

understand what it meant until i had to work with it. i now understand

that to me it means the tool is in my hand.....it is in MY HAND. not

yours. not the lady in the wheelchair. mine.

once i knew what this tool entailed, the frustration ceased and i

BEGAN the journey to achieving my goals with a lot more hope and

willpower. this band has helped me in so many ways i cannot describe.

it helps me to understand so much about patience everyday. its a

HASSLE to squeeze into everything, never fit anywhere, get looks and

whispers everyday and still keep going without any tools for change.

it is a HASSLE to live in a wheelchair. i know i am in control of my

progress but this tool helps me win. i was VERY frustrated. with the

band. without the band. but not now. i would have this surgery every

three months if i had to in order to feel how i feel now. this is all

my personal opinion but i want to step up and say this in retaliation

to that woman who says the 'band' didnt work.

>

> Thank you for posting back.

> I would love to get the band but in reading the posts for 3 years they

> seem like such a hassle with the fills and not to mention minimal

> weight loss and long plateaus. Most seem to complain about how

> frustrated they are and no one knows if they need or have enough fill.

> I met a woman in the market that had the band and she made me promise

> her to never have it done. She never lost a pound. She was about 500

> lbs. and in a wheel chair.

> The band sounds the safest. I wish I could consider that but have just

> heard too many negatives.

> Please reply,

> much thanks.

>

> Vicki...

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Deborah

Thank you so much for taking the time to advise. Next time I see my

rheumy, I will ask him for a biologic agent such as Remicade, Enbrel

or Humira. I am already on Minocin Antibiotic, how do you rate that?

I will ask for low dose steroid therapy. What should I say if he

offers me only Methotrexate as it is customary to dole these out

before offering the biologics?

I thought it was important to exercise the joint in a flair, Am I

wrong?

Happy Christmas.

Ken.

>

> > I feel quite despondent that the thumb on my right hand has lost

> > flexibility, in that, I can't make the 'thumbs up' sign with it

and

> > handwriting is more difficult..The joint on my index finger has a

> > bump and the next finger down has two nodules on the

knuckle.There is

> > a 'raised ridge swelling on the wrist as well.

> >

> > A number of questions:

> >

> > Should I take methotrexate instead of Minocin to stop this joint

> > damage?

> >

> > Should I increase my dose of minocin?

> >

> > Can deformation and and inflexibility be reversed?

> >

> > Are there specific exercises that I can do for the hand?

> >

> > Hoping you are well I look forward to hearing from you all.

> >

> > Ken.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Ken, Minocin did nothing for me really as far as my disease goes. It sounds aggressive to me and in active disease you should be on the holy grail regimine. I will explain this. When in 1995 I was first diagnosed with RA I tried everything that was out. At first in May of 94 My sed rate came back so high they said I had Lupus. They put me on a low dose prednisone(steroid)/Plaquenil/(anti-malarial) and Ibuprofen. If felt a little better at first but not for long. Flaring again like crazy. Then after my RA diagnosis came in 2/95 and MTX was just out and I begged to get on it. I was on minocin indocin, imuran (chemo) sulfa drugs and a bunch of others. I was in essence a human guniea pig. MTX still caused flares and seemed to make NO difference. Finally mid 95 after several braces, aces etc and worn down by 20 doctors over the last year all telling me it was all in my head, I went to the library to Read up on RA. What was it, an old ladys disease. I didnt have a clue. Then I read that there are thousands of (connective tissue) disorders and RA is one of them. I was (and recommend this first especially if it helps) put on Cyclosporine. This drug saved my life literally. It is a transplant rejection drug thats been around for ages. It is a soil fungus of all things. It reversed my symptoms and I faithfully took my holy grail (prednisone, Plaquenil, Ibuprofen and MTX) all in conjunction. I was on it for five years before I went on remicade. My disease built up a resistance to it. RA is a smart disease. Very Smart. RA means that your immune system is REJECTING you, instead of protecting you and sees your body as the infection so the white blood cells get overactive and cause inflammation in joints and sometimes infection too. Its all about the white blood cells. Slow em down, confuse them, interrupt the chain reaction of the inflammatory process. I was a support group leader for the Arthritis foundation so you should find a chapter office in your area and a meeting if they have one. They can give you referrals to doctors that will do more for you. If you are a healthy person you should be suitable for steroid therapy. WARNING. Doctors do not tell you so I will. Steroid is adrenaline or cortisol. It is made naturally in your body at a rate of 5mg per day. When you synthetically add prednisone your regular production stops because the pills are doing it for you. This takes a while to happen. Now, when the dosage is over and above your usual naturally made 5mg something very complex happens to your body. Your metabolism is tricked into thinking it is starving. It acts on the pituitary gland and hormones as well as your thyroid. Your heart rate goes up alot and chemical changes happen also. It will cause you to gain weight and you will have a severely enhanced sense of hunger. That is why I insist that you make your doctor give you 1mg tabs only at first. Doctors like to " medrol " or " step " dose you. They start you off high (10-25mg) for a week and then taper down. Your body cant handle that at all so do not do that. Only people who have lupus and whose organs are swollen should take it. Start off with 2mg a day along with 200mg of Plaquenil. Take these along with an 800mg Ibuprofen once am and once pm. Your plaquenil dose wont probably change. You can increase your prednisone to 3 milligrams after a few weeks so your natural adrenal response wont be shocked. Try to eat as conscientiously as you can. I would work up 1mg after that every two weeks until your reach 6 or 7 milligrams. Thought not recommended for you. I eat only one meal a day. One serving of protein, one of fat, one of vegetable and one of dairy and one of carb. You only need that much a day. As you increase your steroid hopefully you wont feel any difference. Avoid salt, caffiene and high sugars. Everything will turn to fat as your body is tricked into hoarding fat etc. Just eat light and eat right and not in excess. I would add Cyclosporine after your holy grail is on board. You can start it immediately while starting your grail therapy too. I myself take one 5mg and a 1mg prednisone when I get up, a plaquenil 200mg, Ibuprofen 800mg caplet and thats it. By the time I go to bed that dose will have burnt off. Prednisone needs fuel (food) so give it what it needs but be careful. I take 1 mg before bed along with my plaquenil and another ibuprofen. Take the food on a coated stomach. Give cyclosporine a try. Read up on it on www.google.com Cyclosporine for RA. Your doctor works for you. If you feel he is not giving you what you need, find someone else. You can print out this email and give it to him if you want to. Another thing. Have him check your bones via xray for existing damage if he hasnt already and a bone density. You might need to be on a bone builder once on steriod. Mens bones tend to be porous when the disease is RA and it is as active as yours are. I take an infusion of remicade once every 8-10 weeks and 15mg of MTX at night (6) pills all at once and then go to bed. Nausea and fatigue are side effects but have your doctor give you leucovorin calcium the next morning to rescue you from MTX effects. It works!! I hope I covered everything. Dont hesitate to email me anytime you need to and definately look into www.arthritisfoundation.org too. Hugs, Deborah P.S. Do not exercise the flare. Only do that if you have OSTEO ARTHRITIS. Not RA.

On Dec 21, 2007 12:45 PM, Ken <maputo95@...> wrote:

Dear DeborahThank you so much for taking the time to advise. Next time I see my rheumy, I will ask him for a biologic agent such as Remicade, Enbrel or Humira. I am already on Minocin Antibiotic, how do you rate that? I will ask for low dose steroid therapy. What should I say if he offers me only Methotrexate as it is customary to dole these out before offering the biologics?I thought it was important to exercise the joint in a flair, Am I wrong?Happy Christmas.Ken.

> > > I feel quite despondent that the thumb on my right hand has lost> > flexibility, in that, I can't make the 'thumbs up' sign with it and> > handwriting is more difficult..The joint on my index finger has a

> > bump and the next finger down has two nodules on the knuckle.There is> > a 'raised ridge swelling on the wrist as well.> >> > A number of questions:> >> > Should I take methotrexate instead of Minocin to stop this joint

> > damage?> >> > Should I increase my dose of minocin?> >> > Can deformation and and inflexibility be reversed?> >> > Are there specific exercises that I can do for the hand?

> >> > Hoping you are well I look forward to hearing from you all.> >> > Ken.> >> > > >>