DeLarla

Zoe has all the good PBs.

A hundred years ago, Slim Fast didn't give you the gas. That all started during the high fiber craze. I remember when the new formula came out because I wrote to ask why I was all bloated & farty, and they said they beefed up the fiber content.

Water Piks are great! I hate flossing too, so I'm glad someone else admitted it. I use the Polish Water Pick every day in addition to Lysterine and brushing. I use the pulsating shower massage on all my teeth when I shower.

So Sorry, Little C. I wish there was something I could give you or do for you.

There's nothing better to me than cuddling in the big bed with my dogs and eating. It's safe, it's secure, it's comforting. Till afterwards when I hate myself. It's a horrible habit that creeps back way too often.

Nobody but my husband knew. Nobody knew for a couple weeks. Nobody has to know about the band till you are good, ready and comfortable talking about it. That could be a week, a year or never. You'll know when the time is right. Till then, just let everyone know you're changing your life one nibble at a time, and if they press you, walk away after handing them a hunk of fudgy cake and saying, "Here, enjoy."

I prefer both. Sometimes it's hard to get to the gym because I wake up late or have morning errands to run. On those days it's nice to walk the dogs then exercise at home with my equipment. I pick both!

Treadmills are really good in small houses because they make great storage hangers. You can get a whole load of laundry on one machine.

I wish you great speed in this process and a faster healing. Can't wait to see the pics!

If I take a Lortab/Vicodin, I can eat huge amounts. I'm not sure if they loosen up your stomach, or if they just mask the full feeling. Even when I was banded I could eat tons on pain pills. Not sure why though.

Girl, you gotta get your veggies in! There are ways to hide them. For example, make a meatloaf and bake carrots right in, or make healthy Soups and cut the veggies really small. Cube them pea size and toss them in cottage cheese or over other foods. Start slow. Soon you'll be snacking on raw spinach with me. I guess I got lucky cause I love tons of raw stuff.

You sound normal. Now the hard part of finding a fill doctor. Most US surgeons won't touch patients banded in Mexico so you might start lining things up now. Good luck, and it will get better soon.

I was using electric toys till Cadydid said I could actually tell myself I'm beautiful. Now I do both.

Then again, even with all my research, Inamed led me directly to the hands of the one surgeon I wished I'd never met.

Trish, you have to factor in desperation. I researched by default since I followed a dentist (my Band mentor) who did all the legwork and got the band before me. Then I was forced to the mandatory seminar. But honestly, I wasn't even alive back then and would have traded everything I owned for magic Beans if I saw they worked on a dentist.

"Happy Drug" is midazalam hydrochloride. I've seen grown men brought to their knees by this drug after telling me "you can't calm me down" I've been calling it Mexican Ecstasy. I've never tried Ecstacy, but it's got to be something like midazalam hydrochloride! I walked out of surgery and started tap dancing down Revolution Ave. Good stuff!

Do NOT drink! Drinking is the worst thing you can do, take my word for it since I ignored warnings not to drink, and it was horrible. While Vera flaps her arms like a chicken, I pounded my chest and ran around the house hopping up and down. I also jumped in the shower and pounded my chest with the hot pulsating shower massager while jerking my head in and out like a lizzard on a rock. Next time you might try a combo while making a training video for the board.

Yes, I was sick for 2 weeks. I even ran to Urgent Care, and my doctor was sure I had Montezuma's Revenge from the noises coming out of my belly. She tested me for every known bug, but I was fine. I was like that for 2 weeks with horrible "bathroom" issues. Horrible. Sunta, you had really bad vibes about surgery, so maybe you're just a little psychic! So far, your experience sounds just like mine, which was gross and miserable. I was a slowbie-newbie when it came to getting better, but I started feeling normal after 2 weeks.

Eating in bed (guilty) or before bed can be very dangerous for some of us. I ended up with Barrett's Esophagus and bad acid reflux added to choking in my sleep from eating late, laying down too soon, and eating too much. Food needs to digest downward, so if you lay down, food can sit in your esoph instead of moving down below. Any food and/or stomach acid can cause all sorts of problems.

Tanya, I'm only familiar with my own Sarcodosis, which sounds different than yours. I had a horrible spell about 20 years ago, when I was convinced I had a peanut stuck in my lung. Nobody believed me, but I spent my life hardly breathing and constantly trying to cough out some obstruction. I was misdiagnosed and put on anti-anxiety meds, asthma meds, etc. They finally diagnosed the sarcoid after seeing something suspicious on my lung (there are nodules on my right lung.) Sarcoid is not a connective tissue disease though, so my surgeons allowed me to get the band. I don't know a lot about Sarcoid, but I sure have huge problems with anesthesia and not being able to breathe. Other than that, losing 75 pounds makes breathing easier in the grand scheme of things. My band did not reject due to my auto immune disease. My Mexican doctor had a bad rash of band erosions all about the same time, and I was one of them.

Leah, count the calories of every single thing that goes in your mouth. Some of us have slower metabolisms and need very little to lose or maintain. I'm a big girl (5' 10") so you'd think I could get a little xtra food, but that's not the case for me. If I don't stick under 1500 calories, I don't lose. And 1500 calories isn't really all that much food unless you live on veggies, which I mainly do. Try counting every single thing you put in your mouth, including cream in your coffee, a bite of this or that. Especially salad dressings, fat, mayo, oil. If you aren't eating too many calories, see your doctor about a possible thyroid or other medical reason.

Jen, did your docs say the problem might get better as you lose weight? I have issues with lumps in my throat, too. But it was much worse when I was heavier, and now it only bothers me when I eat too much. Let's hope you start feeling better as you melt away!

I'm not sure what you mean, but I was awake during my first port removal. Anyone know where I can get the drugs they put in my IV that turned port removal surgery into a party? They should have knocked me out because they kept holding my arms down since I was trying to help them. I normally pass out when I see a needle, but if they're doing surgery while you're awake, they'll give you something to chill out.

I'm an American Idol junkie. I "Picked Pickler" the second I saw her first interview. But last night I actually fell asleep because they are SO boring this season. I agree 100% with Simon that they're chosing songs to make Gramma happy. I hope the guys spice it up tonight. I'm in love with half them young boys!

My dad says we might be a screwed up family, but at least we're 100% Polish so we didn't screw that up. So if eating these are a Polish tradition, I'll have to stop at the Polish deli on my way home. You people don't want me to break tradition, do you?