TerriDoodle

Shorts!?!? I haven't worn a pair of shorts for 5 years!!

Haydee, I JUST read this little inspirational ditty and I instantly thought of you... take it for what you will: You can't believe how often not wanting to feel awkward gets in our way of having our dream come true. We feel tongue-tied, all thumbs, as if we've got two left feet—and we take it as a sign to go back to the tried and true. Even if the tried and true is a prison cell, we long for the comfort of the familiar. As my friend Dawna Markova says, "Be it ever so toxic, there's no place like home." But to learn anything, we have to leave the comfort of the known for the awkwardness of the untried. And we must accept our ineptness as the price of beginning, trusting that, like adolescents, we'll grow out of that awkward stage and blossom into mastery if we just hang in there. -- MJRyan

Laura, In my experience having children totally changed my life (obviously) and having the second one contributed so greatly to the stress in our marriage that it collapsed. I don't know if ya'll are ready or not, but what I can tell you is that being realistic and getting your marriage in a very strong place first is so very important. The issue of video games that you mention sometimes as being a problem, I can see becoming a major problem when you throw a child into the mix. Suddenly there is about 3-4x the amount of work to be done around the house and if he's in the habit of escaping into his virtual world, I can only see that getting worse. Even if that's not a problem anymore....there will be others that you haven't even gotten a glimpse of yet and will take you by surprise...so the bigger question is how are problems handled in general. Are you partners or is one more dominant than the other? In my experience if one is more dominant, the resentment tends to build as does the stress. You add a kid into that mix and POW! you got a load of trouble. BTW, my DH and I were married 10 years before we had children!....then the real trouble began. I certainly don't mean to imply that I regret having children...NOT AT ALL! I'm only trying to emphasize to you that your marriage needs to be in a very stable place...ready and committed to handling anything that comes your way. I also think that your dh might very well change his mind about going into the delivery room. If he is adamant about NOT going in, yes, I'd say that's a bit of a red flag. Here are some online quizzes for you if you want.... Relationship Baby-Ready Quiz Quizzes – Take a Fun Quiz and Test Your Knowledge about Getting Pregnant, Pregnancy and Parenting - BabyZone.com Quiz: What Kind of Dad Will He Be? Quiz: Ready for Parenthood Quiz Are You Ready for Parenthood? - A Parenting Quiz http://public.findlaw.com/life_events/forms/le2_2_1.pdf

You're kidding, right? I can think of a hundred bad foods right off the top of my head and unfortunately many of us LIVED on those bad foods. Don't forget that because our portions are so small, we absolutely have to make healthy choices....with an occasional treat.

There is a sticky in the LB FAQ section, too.... here's a link. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f73/abbreviations-what-they-mean-7959/

Please post all those wonderful recipes here !!!:drool::wink:

I started a new Violet recipe section!! Don't ya'll think thats a good idea?? Yes, Tracy...Congrats to you on DAY 1!!! It's the hardest day of all. Best of luck to you, girlfriend! Janie - If the emerald is scratched up it makes me think that it's not real. Emeralds are pretty hard ...about a 7.5 or 8, I think (with diamond being a 10). If it is real, it could be polished up and re-set. Any jeweler could tell you if it's real or not...or look to see if your town has a local lapidary society and contact them for advice. That's also a good place to find custom jewelers who are probably reasonably priced.

Hola! (Speaking of "hola"....where the HELL is HAYDEE?????) Well, DD and I survived our day of shopping. And, of course, as it turns out after 4 hours of shopping she ended up buying the 2nd dress she tried on at the 1st store we visited. But we had to go to 10 other stores just to make sure it was the right one. It really is perfect and it will make her dad happy too....very elegant and modest .... a black chiffon short dress over a pewter colored satin 'slip'...with a few black bugle beads around the waist. Wednesday we shop for shoes. Oy. DH met us for dinner at a nice seafood restaurant...he and I split mahi-mahi, a stuffed potato and greek salad. I had maybe 1/5 of it! It was delish. Then DD and I went to the beauty supply place so I could buy supplies for highlighting my hair tomorrow. THEN we went to Barnes and Noble where I bought 3 jewelry books!!! What a fun day....but man, am I exhausted now! Speakiing of jewelry (my favorite subject!) this morning I made a set of silver "stacking rings" like the ones below...except I have a stack of 5...might make a couple more tomorrow. They're so easy, fast and aren't they cute? I just canNOT wait to start my metalsmithing class next month!!! G'night all....gonna go play around, maybe shop for some tools on ebay! Wheeeee!

I'm pretty sure Haydee was banded in Mexico.... Off to go dress shopping for my DD. Pray for me.

To be on the safe side I do as my doctor said....no pills larger than a birth control pill. That would be about 4-5mm, I guess. However, I 'tested' my Lexapro pills which are about three times that size and are not coated in any way. (A coating or capsule on your pill should give you a hint that they are meant to pass thru the esophagus and/or stomach before being dissolved). I dropped it in a tiny bit of Water to see how fast it dissolves and it dissolved almost instantly. So that told me that if I only drink a full glass of water with the pill it would have no trouble getting thru the band. I also NEVER take any aspirin or ibuprofen or aleve (NSAIDs) unless it's a liquid and always with plenty of water. These are very hard on your upper GI system. Hope that helps.

I would suggest you do a search in the Insurance section for BCBS to get a good idea of what your experience will be like because all of the other people here who have gone thru it already. There will be tons of info there!

thanks, Judy!! You're a really good counter!!

I remember having these exact same thoughts and is basically what I told my doctor when he was considering me for the band. I was "only" 215#, but doing nothing but gaining since menopause...so the future was pretty clear! I also remember having those same gung-ho thoughts about how I'm going to be a new person and exercise every day and follow the bandster rules to a "T" and I'm never going to fail...blah blah blah. I was gung-ho to the max....for about 7 months...I was even known as the 'gym nazi'. Then I hit a couple of stumbling blocks and life happened and I've been coasting ever since. The beauty of the band is that even though I'm not doing so well in the food and exercise department I've still lost a tad bit of weight....rather than gaining....and my doctor is thrilled with my progress. My doctor is also one who doesn't prescribe a strict diet...tells us to enjoy the foods we've always enjoyed, just less of them....and try to get 60gm of Protein in every day. My point is to all of you is to realize that this is a long journey and you will have periods when you are a LB poster kid and times when you're just human and it's all OK. Beating yourself up for being a fat failure is a tape loop we all need to get rid of....its dangerous! Recognize that there will be ups AND downs and try to have a support system (like LBT) in place to help you thru the rough spots. In the end you'll be fine. Be gentle with yourself and don't expect major behavior changes overnight. The band doesn't work on your head. Those changes are best done in little baby steps over a long period of time until they become the 'norm' for you.

Laura - Do you forget how much pain you were in? 100 pounds. Jeez-o-man. 100 pounds is a LOT of weight!!! I can barely lift 40# on a good day. 100 pounds is really beyond what I can even wrap my head around. 100 pounds is freakin' incredible. Please girls, don't EVER EVER EVER minimize that accomplishment....because it is probably the hardest thing you will ever do or have ever done in your life. :biggrin:

Well, this is something you definitely need to discuss with each of the doctors...the surgeon and the doctor that prescribed the medication. I have not ever heard of anyone being required to get off of their birth control before surgery. However, it would be a big risk to not disclose to your surgeon every medication you are taking before surgery... I hope that is not what you are implying!

KATSICLE............:biggrin:

I've done that!!! Palm Springs was my first (of 2) visits to California and I fell in love with it! You're so lucky to live in such a beautiful town! I'll have to come visit sometime and let DH play golf 'til he wears himself out!

Kat - That is SO cool about Marci and Shelley!! ...and it's good for the mom, too. I canNOT imagine a greater heartbreak than having to give a baby up for adoption! So how old are Marci and Shelley!?! Egads...I'd hate to think of starting over at my age!:angry_smile: Suzie - I WISH I was home doing laundry!! I've got lots to do at home and have to be here at work....where there is absolutely nothing going on. We're supposed to hit a record high today of 88 degrees!!! Isn't that wild? Spring Break starts this weekend for the kids...and our 'project' this week is to find a dress and shoes for my daughter to wear to the 8th Grade Dance! God help me. I've really been a good bandster but the scale is not moving. I WILL go to the gym this weekend!! :cursing: I am really concerned about my inability to eat meat. Kat, sharing fajitas with my dh is a fantasy for me! I could no more eat fajita meat than fly to the moon. I'm really tight and eating a LOT of mushies. I'll give it a couple more weeks, I guess.

Did ya'll hear about the woman who sat on the toilet for 2 years in the news today?? I've heard a lot of strange things in my life, but this was waaaay up at the top of the list.

"Super Moderator" was the default title that Alex bestowed upon us when we became moderators....that title was automatically attached to the avatar. I was just kind of uncomfortable with it for some reason and change mine to simply "forum moderator". R&R is the "Rants and Raves" section of this board. It gets pretty hairy in there and I just about always get aggravated when I visit....so i don't! :eek: I'd much rather hang here with you girliez.:grouphug:

** HAYDEE UPDATE ** Ok, I was worried...so I called her cell and she's in Mexico (I woke her up!...nice, huh?)! She's at her grandparents just taking a break from the stress in her life. She's better now and things with Juan are OK. She's travelling back today and said to tell you all HI! Whew!!

I'll find a pic eventually, Laura....or have DH take some this weekend. I just can't take my own with my Iphone.... the pic comes out lookng like it was taken with a fish-eye lens and my nose looks crazy-big. I've been out moderating and I'm pooped. There's some crazy people on this board!

I'm sorry, but I just don't agree with your 'logic' here. 3 weeks between fills should be the minimum waiting time. Some people (like me) get progressively tighter over a 2 week period. Not to mention that an aggressive fill schedule such as you suggest is downright dangerous. I am frankly shocked that your doctor was agreeable to it.

Are you sure it's OK for you to be eating meat only 2 weeks post-op?? That's unusual! Your doctor should have told you when to come in for your first fill. It's usually no sooner than 4-6 weeks. I can only eat about 3/4c. of food at a time... and if I'm eating meat, it's usually only a couple of ounces. I'm very tight right now.

I came over here to say something....now I can't remember what it was. :drool: Oh yeah. I sent out the flying monkeys to look for Haydee!! Where the h-e-double-toothpicks is she???