DeLarla

Hey, all surgeries are elective! You gotta sign the consent, right? That was pretty rude of them.

You've got a fun nature and a good attitude... you'll need all that humor once you have your Band! Good luck to you. I look forward to following your stories.

My husband had an aunt named Dora Rhoda Hollar. She married Harold Dick. You do the math. And I'm not even lying.

Hey Bubba, one of the girls having surgery with me beat your panic attack... she actually got up and ran! She changed her mind on the way to the operating room. She decided against it, but later the doctor was able to talk her into it. She had the surgery later on.

Good news. You are normal! Let me say this, the very last thought racing through my brain as they were administering the anesthesia is, "THANK GOD." Oh, and "hurry up!"

Nothing formal ever happens at my house. One girlfriend forgot her suit but felt uncomfortable swimming in her panties, so she wore my husband's underwear to swim in. Where's the camera when you need it? And nobody's allowed to be shy since we are all fluffy women. Are there any rock hard bodies in the room? Hello? HELLO? Is that an echo? Hello?

We should have our own LapBand BMI chart. You have to weigh at least 200 to find your BMI so skinny people can see what it's like to be non-existent.

I've read on this board that an occasional doctor WILL fill a band during surgery, although most doctors don't. I think there's a current thread where somebody didn't have any fat around her stomach, so the doctor filled the Band during the original surgery. If you do some searches, you might be able to find more info.

I went to Mexico all alone - I didn't even have a patient coordinator. I was alone during the entire procedure, but then I became the popular one as the next day's 5 patients started to filter in and stare at the "newly banded girl" in wonder. They had hundreds of questions, but the next day was their turn. Everyone was so nice, and by the time they were all out of surgery we were one happily banded family. You'll meet buddies in the hospital since most surgeons book several surgeries a day. Good luck, keep a good sense of humor, and write as soon as you're able.

I wish I had known a rich relative that offered to pay for it all.

- SuPeR DoOpEr tRoOpEr and far outsky!

Babchi (Gramma) fell ill last year and has been in bed ever since - coming to terms with the inevitable certainly leaves a lump next to the golfball. She's my savior since Mommy Dearest is severely mentally ill and never (not even once) offered an ounce of motherly love, tenderness, care or concern. Bapchi taught me my prayers, swaddled me in huge bath towels, sat me on her lap and snuck me Jello pudding. If I could chose one memory, it would be when I was about 6 years old, sitting on Babchi's lap in the car while my Mom was driving. Babchi held her hand over my eyes the entire trip so I couldn't see where we were going. I never asked why she covered my eyes since I always felt safest with her and trusted her completely. It wasn't till I was much older that I realized she was just keeping the sun out of my eyes. Thinking back, her upper arm must have gotten sore from the long ride, but Grammas don't feel that kinda pain. Just love.

What irritates me won't fit on this screen, so I asked Kellymoos to bottle up her smile and send me some!

I don't take things quite as lightly. I'd call the bank on the deposit slip and snoop around some. If they need money from you, too bad - they should have sent Christmas cards years ago, not a deposit slip out of the blue.

Thanks Kim. Paula, I want your stripper name! That's a great one. Hey, Jamin Jamie is a cool name too! People should come to LBT to name their babies.

You got my cheeks all puckered thinking about that tuna! Now I gotta have some too! Glad you like it.

I love the name Daisy Doodle. There's nobody else from this board in Vegas, but there is a small Vegas board. I've only met a couple of really nice girls, but I don't know them well. I could ask them if they wanted to meet for lunch while you're here though, my little Pooh Pooh. The gas is really bad, but mine aren't usually of the offensive nature. They're loud but usually non-toxic.

I want to publicly apologize to Jamie for pointing out that her name was spelled wrong. That was stupid and judgmental of me. I'm not perfect, and I make typos all the time. I'm ashamed, so Jamie, I am really, really sorry. Friends?

My stripper name would be Sammy Semper. Cute!

Bright, the reason I delete threads is because I have mental issues. I strive to be self-confident and strong, but weak moments take over where I feel stupid and insecure. I often feel I've said the wrong thing or offended someone, so I jump and delete what I wrote. I'm not sure why I do it, but I promise to work on leaving threads alone. I wish I had the resources to see a therapist. I think I need it desperately, but I just don't have the resources right now. That's why I practically live here.

Once again, Alex, you were there at the precise moment I needed you. I've been contemplating starting a new thread about last night's binge (which was the worst and most painful experience since Banding.) But I've started too many binge threads, so I was lost. But then I read this and I can breathe again. I have a disease. It controls me most of the time, but the Band helps me control it some of the time. I'm foregoing my Breakfast this morning and wish I had the mental capacity/willpower to go on liquids for a few days to make sure I don't snap my band (that's how much I ate last night.) Thank you, it's as if you knew I needed this. Thanks.

Jasper, I'm impressed with your healing! Some people heal really fast while others (like me) take longer to feel better. Yes, the Soup will slide right through, so you won't feel full for too long. Just remember that the liquid phase is only temporary. You might want to try cream Soups in the blender for a second to smooth out the chunks, which stuck to my ribs a little better than broth based soups. Did your doctor tell you when you can move on to mushie foods? I was allowed mushie things like mashed potatoes, cottage cheese and refried Beans in my 3rd week. I look forward to seeing you around here!

Uh, you don't have to know how to swim cuz my pool is only five feet deep! Sorry, try again. And my birthday is not that weekend, so it doesn't count! You're screwed, girly! I've been waiting for this! DAMN, don't you wish it was sooner? I'm getting hyped up about seeing everyone again! Hey, is everyone okay with Buca di Bepo again? There are zillions of restaurants here, but I love the family atmosphere at Buca, plus the portions, food and prices all worked really well last year. If I had to vote, I'd select Buca as our annual dinner, our Vegas Band Bash tradition. Any thoughts?

Corgi, I'm always really bad with this kind of subject. I never know the right words to say, but I want you to know that my heart is saying all the right stuff, I just can't seem to make the words follow. But it's all good, and I'm so happy for you. Good luck to you.

Donali, I'm with Alex. I love both your names. When I was in 5th grade there were five girls named Lisa, so my name has always been Lisa K. (from my last name.) My whole life everyone thought my name was Lisa-Kay. I went to broadcasting school after I graduated, but they told me my last name would never make it on the radio, so I officially changed my name to Lisa Kay (no middle name.) That was my radio name but I never got on the air cuz I hated it. But I hated Lisa K. as a kid, so my mom said she'd pay for me to legally change it. She gave me tons of name books, but being the double Libra that I am, I was never able to make a decision. Now I wish I would have picked Six or Zoe or something cool.