TerriDoodle

Gosh! Everybody is falling apart!! Kat - you poor dear!!! Got any leftover Vicodin around there?? Good stuff! Makes you go night-night! Jane - How's your arm today? That sure sounds painful! You'll probably be sore all over today...I usually am after a fall like that. Tracy - Glad you're finally better! You've had a bad run for sure! Are you talking about the earrings I made??? LOL You should have gotten her email address and I could have overcharged the heck out of her and made some money to buy MORE stuff!!! LOL Dang! Judy - you look incredible now!! I can't believe the difference in your shoulders and neck. Who knew we could carry so much weight there? Denise - Congratulations on your new house .... are you going to be picking everything out.... all the way from brick to sink fixtures? Ay yay yay!! My marriage would never last! LOL I had a good day yesterday. My sister stayed with Mom so I got to spend the whole day at home with my family...did some more metal work. I finished up the links for a bracelet (now have to work on the charms) and a quick little pair of earrings. Today I'll go to be with Mom in the morning, come back home for a few hours, then go back to be with her in the evening. This place she is in is supposedly "first class", and it's fancy, but the care doesn't seem to be much better than any other place. My head is about to explode with the stress of it all. You can see why banging on metal is so therapeutic to me! LOL I'll check in with you guys later. Haydee? Where are you???

LOL, Jacqui...that surprises the hell out of me about you! If I would only choose what I'm going to wear the night before, that would really help me to be on time...but in all the years I've been working I still can't manage that.

uh....porn movies?? :biggrin: Works for me! (shhhhhhhhhh...it's a secret)

LOL....just like you've seen snow in July, I've seen 82 degree Christmases!...many times!

Well, since you have a history of being overweight it might not be that difficult...and you obviously have a family history as well. I would think the main thing you have to tackle then is to convince the doctor that you are ready and willing, have the maturity to manage your band AND demonstrate knowledge of the principles of good nutrition. Those things would go a long way in your favor! Good luck to you! I was a low BMI-er but have been 40# overweight for 30 years!! With menopause kickiing in I was looking at nothing but gaining from here on out....so I had to 'convince' my doctor, too. I think it helped to have my compelling argument ready...it showed that i had done a lot of thinking and analyzing of what I was capable of. Make sense?

Are you PBing a lot?? Do you stay on liquids and mushies after a PB? maybe a few days of liquids will help calm it down....and then anytime you have a PB or get stuck you really need to baby it. Are you under a lot of stress? My stress level is directly related to my level of restriction. I also think I suffer from 'first bite syndrome'...where it jusst tightens up with the first few bites and then finally relaxes about 10-15 minutes later. I have to really think about how I'm eating these days or else I'm almost constantly irritating my stoma and then it becomes a vicious cycle. Maybe if you keep a log or diary you'll start to see a pattern emerge?

Cool, what you are going through now is what we ALL went through!! Believe me! Having a surgery like this is a serious matter and is life changing for sure! So your nerves are justified iin being jangled! The beauty of the band is that you won't have to rely on pure willpower alone anymore! I'd say that it's half and half now. The band does half the work and your head does the other half. Mourning food is very, very natural! But seriously, you get over it! The freedom and new control that you feel are simply amazing. Yes, there will be some days when you get out of control but you'll eat 3 Cookies instead of 40....or you'll choose enchiladas instead of a green salad. But you'll only be able to eat one enchilada instead of 3!! ....and you'll be okay with that. The other thing I felt very helpful is to read a motivational book.... One that helped me a lot was [ame=http://www.amazon.com/This-Year-Will-Finally-Resolution/dp/0767920082]"This Year I Will..." by MJ Ryan[/ame]. She's awesome and so is the book. Lots and lots of food for thought and will help you understand how your brain works when going thru a major change in behavior. I highly suggest it. The other thing to keep in mind is that when polled, 92% of the users here said they had no regrets and would get banded again. So you have a 92% chance that you will feel the same way!! Those are pretty darn good odds. Good luck! Hang around LBT...a lot....and it will help immensely.

I hate to be a kill-joy, but I think you might have a hard time convincing anyone that you need to be banded at your age and BMI. Unless you have a history of being overweight since you were a young child and/or showing some kind of issues with your health like diabetes, it's not likely you'll get banded. Your parents approve of it?? I'm surprised.

The coldest weather I can ever remember being in was one year when it got down to 11 degrees and <30 for a few days in a row. But I distiinctly remember going out one night when it was 11 because it was so unique to my experience!....the cold was actually painful and mind-numbing...and the car just could not get warm even with the heater going full blast. Granted that it was colder to us because we are not prepared with the proper clothes down here...I don't own any kind of hat or scarf or gloves! Anyway, my point is that I admire anyone who can withstand that kind of cold environment, much less get in a swimsuit out in it!!!! :biggrin: When will it start getting warm up there, Judy? Like april-May? And how long does your summer last? Our winter will be over by the end of Feb. Then we have mild temps thru April. May-June are pretty darn hot, then July-September is just pure hell!

Laura! I loved the pictures! Congrats on ALL your NSV's! There's plenty more to come, too!! But crossing your legs is a HUGE one! You look sooooo cute in all of your pictures and the snow is so pretty. Kat - What's the difference between a pannectomy and a TT? I thought they were the same thing! Sorry you're sick....yuck. Take care, ok? Tracy - I'm curious, why did your doc give you prednisone? For your ear infection? That's kind of odd, I think. Hmmm. (I used to be a nursing student, can you tell? LOL) TracyK - hope you and DH are havin' a great time! :thumbup: Judy - Where are you going for your cruise? Somewhere WARM I hope! Suzie - thanks for the words of encouragement...and you're so right. When this is all over I will feel better knowing I did all I could for her, even if right now it just doesn't seem like enough. My sister stayed with her today and I went by for lunch...but tonight I'm at home with my kiddos and all is right with the world...well, at least on our block. I have been living on cottage cheese and oatmeal all week. The stress along with a new fill have made all else just about impossible to eat. I did manage to get a cheese enchilada down my pie hole tonight. It was delish. The (slim) lady at the table next to me polished off three of them, along with rice, beans and chips! Did we used to eat that much??? :biggrin: I am totally exhausted tonight. I can't wait to go to bed!! zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hi girls! Sorry I haven't posted much the last couple of days. I have been reading...this is where I come when I want solace...and that's several times a day. Work is really hectic while we prepare for a board meeting next week but the real kicker is getting Mom set up in this new rehab place. OMG. She has deteriorated soooooooo much in the last two weeks and last night was horrible. I don't want to get into the details (too tired for that) but I am almost at my wits end. I have never been thru so much personal agony over a loved one like this before....I have never felt so helpless. I try and try to make things better for her in every way that I can...but it's just nowhere near enough. As a result I am just a bundle of stress 90% of the time. Please keep us in your prayers. Was goiing to sit here and write a bunch of personals....but see it's time for me to get in the shower and get ready for work. I'll check in later. Thanks you guys....love you!

Lately I'm always running late for work which drives me kinda nuts... there's a whole bunch of construction on my way in and I never know how the traffic will be. I'm just wondering how common it is to be chronically late for work.

That's very interesting!! I will try that next time! I've always used a teaspoon of sugar and that works 100% of the time for me....but not for everyone.

Jenn, I am confused by this. :confused2: Say it again?

You OK Pam?? ...or just the usual run-o-the-mill kinda stress? When are gonna see your OB-GYN again? And you never answered me...are you taking iron supplements?

When do you start your job, Jenn?? Tell us again, what will you be doing? I'm so excited FOR you!!! We all are!!! You can bank on that. I think I speak for all of us here that it broke our hearts to see you suffer so much. I'm glad that you can get on with your life now.... well, at least after Thursday... Haydee - I don't think it's weird, some people just have more active sweat glands than others. Be glad! I sweat like a pig...it's gross. I've stayed out of the sun and tanning booths for YEARS now and am a big fan of the self-tanning cremes. The best I've used is made by Clarins (at the cosmetics counter of major dept. stores), but it's pretty expensive. The other that I like a LOT is made by Aveeno...and it comes in a "split" bottle, where you can "dial up" as much or as little color as you want. I buy it at the drug store (Walgreens). It's about $12, I think. Great stuff. (here's a link so you know what it looks like) I just got back from the Valentine card wars at the Hallmark store! jeez! Don't go near one unless you have to!! Ugly! Kat, Jane, Tracy -- Hope you're better soon. The flu is creeping ever closer to my house! If i don't get it, it'll be a miracle. I'm being such a good little bandster today! I'm having spring mix lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, with basalmic vinegar, olive oil and plain tuna on top. That's what skinny people eat!!

I want THAT pool!!

Where is Tenerife??

Oh gosh!!! LOL I remember thinking that very same thing!! Then i remembered that everyone on this board went thru the same experience...it's very common to have second thoughts at this point! TRUST ME, it will pass and you'll love your band as much as i do!!! :biggrin: Hang in there!!!!

Get out of here!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :biggrin: :w00t: :party: :welldone2: :tt2: :tongue: :tea: :Banane22: :mad: :eek6: :hurray: :Banane57: :target: :drum: :eek6: :lol2: :svengo: :smilielol5: :smile5:

You crack me up, Haydee!! Richard wanted to take me out to dinner but we had to cancel due to stuff going on with mom. So I asked for a jewelry tumbler instead...LOL I got tools for Christmas! And i couldn't be happier! Can't wait for my package to come. :tongue: I'll be your house is looking really good, eh? What all have you done already? I find it hard to believe you dont like cheese!? How do you eat queso and enchiladas and nachos??? What's WRONG with you????????? :confused2: Great NSV!! You'll have to wear a helmet now. KAT - So glad your son is home!!! What a wonderful surprise for you all! Gee, i can't believe you didn't just go plop yourself on their couch for a couple of hours! They would have loved that! :mad:

just don't put me in the corner, whatever you do!!! I'm still SO traumatized by my 1st grade teacher doing that to me....that WITCH...Mrs. Bailey!:scared2: Hey....look at these cute little smilies! :wub: :wink2:

Switch from "why thinking" to "what could be possible thinking. Ask "what" questions rather than "why": What can I do to have more balance in my life today rather than Why am I a workaholic? What help do I need right now rather than Why is this happening to me? Do you notice the difference in the two choices? One leads to rumination and stuckness; the other to creative possibilities and forward momentum. --M.J. Ryan

Oh yeah...Pam....we start laying out by the pool in mid-late Feb. too! This last weekend it was 77 and sunny. Today is a different story! We're expecting wind, hail and dropping temps to 38 degrees!! (Did you know that Tracy??)

Judy is just lovin' this guy! :scared2::tt2::wink2: I admit...he's appropriate in so many situations! Can't you just see Judy stickin' her tongue out at us? LOL Tracyk- the plan for your hair sounds really pretty!! It'll be time to post pics again!! Mom is supposedly being transferred from the hospital to rehab/skilled nursing facility today to get her strength back. i went yesterday to check this place right down the road from my office and arranged to have her moved there...it's like the freakin' Ritz Carlton and I am not kidding! Medicare and her supplemental insurance pay for everything up to 80 days....so why not?? That'll buy us some time to shop around for a place that is a bit more reasonable when we have to go to self-pay. Yikes. This place would be about $6,000/month!!! I don't think sooooooooooo.