DeLarla

Lauri, just start rolling up quarters to put in your pockets, since the insurance company probably will deny you if you're not heavy enough.

My friend's sister is afraid to bathe because the shower head talks to her.

When my older brother was 17, The Momster was in one of her usual rages. He'd had enough, so he grabbed her, picked her up, and put her outside. That was the day I realized he'd grown up and wasn't going to take her BS anymore. It was a very defining and triumphant moment. I always hated my abusive brother, but that day I thought he was so cool! Our family never used fists but there was quite a bit of physical "pinning down" during insane blow ups. One time my brother used the hose and sprayed down all of them (Momster, her paranoid schizophrenic sister, and our 90 year-old uncle.) My older brother is just as screwed up with greed disorder (he stole everyone's inheritance and over a million in family property and is still under investigation.) My brother steals from his rich relatives, and then hoses them down.

Gosh, an area that I actually don't have a problem in! I eat rye crisps and raw spinach just about every day. And I bought this miniature water bottle at the drug store that looks just like one of the 5-gallon Sparklett's or Arrowhead bottles. It hold the daily recommended water requirment (plus it's darn cute.) I don't allow myself to eat lunch till the bottle is empty, so I get all the required water in before lunch... any other water is just a bonus. I must have fresh, raw veggies though, even just a little.

Hi Tracey, welcome to the Land of the Band! Good luck to you!

Lemme back up a second. I don't think all treats should be diet, either. I keep diet ice creams in the fridge all the time, so there's always something easy & fun. But there's no way I can say no to every single holiday goodie that sits in my office. So I made myself a deal in advance. I won't eat any store-bought cookies. But if anyone bakes, I'll allow myself a little. And out of the boxed assortments, I get all the dark chocolate/espresso ones (I'll leave all the milk chocolate to the wimps.)

Have you tried talking to him? My husband is out in left-field when I try to seriously talk to him, so it took years to find a way to get him to actually listen. He has the patience of a rattle snake, so I have to keep things short and simple. You have to talk to a man like you are a man. They don't sniffle or cry or whine, they talk straight facts. Tell him "if the Boston Redsocks eat brownies in bed, then so will the cheerleaders." I agree that brownies should be kept out of the bedroom, but my husband takes great joy in eating like a hog, even in bed. It's not his fault that he's think while I'm obese, so I'm not going to make him suffer. Why don't you have "safe" Snacks for yourself like fat free ice cream bars? Say, "hey, I'm looking at today's calories and I can still afford a fudgesickle." Maybe if he sees you physically calculating the numbers on paper before you eat it, then he won't need to "help" you. Men look at their friends and tell them straight up, "hey dude, you're getting a huge gut." And the friend doesn't cry or throw food, they just look down and say, "ya think?" They are so matter-of-fact that they don't even know they're hurting us; they think they're helping. But more important, you need to know if he loves you now. I was fighting a lot with Chris before I lost the weight because I hated myself. I totally understand where you're coming from. I was a super bitch before surgery and would snap at the littlest thing. Then I finally told Chris how bad I hated myself. He assured me he'd keep loving me even if he had to bash the walls out so my fat ass could get through the door. That's love, baby, so go ask your man how he's feeling.

Smiling here. I've made calls to lots of people including a several band doctors and Inamed reps. I have a couple different options that I'm tossing around, and I'll follow my instinct to make the right decision. I just hope my band is okay today (and tomorrow and for all of 2005 hee hee.) xoxo

I agree with Marie and Alex. It's good that you wrote the letter since writing is therapeutic, and getting the words on paper will help you put things in perspective. But keep the emotions and feelings out. Just the facts, M'am, nothin' but the facts. Put the strongest argument at the beginning and keep it one page if possible. Do you use Word or WordPerfect? I have both. PM me your e-mail address so I can attach my letter and forward it via e-mail.

Momster's name is Liana Semper. We call her Screamata Temper. I laughed at the "special jacket." She's worn one before, but it's time she owns her own. But nobody wants her - she's famous in her small town for being the crazy lady. Cops stay away cause she's not hurting anyone. But I had to start this thread cause reading other stories makes me feel more normal knowing I'm not the only one with lunatics. Thanks everyone for being so nice. I guess I did turn out okay - but gosh, can anyone figure out why I turned to food for comfort? I have a lot to be thankful for. She forced me into independence, so I tend to handle my black cloud pretty well.

Babs, maybe you should talk to a wig shop just because they are probably the most knowledgeable when it comes to hair loss? They might be able to give you better information than a doctor. Sometimes we get diagnosed in the strangest places (remember, I'm the one that saw my cat's vet for my port infection.) And I didn't mean the head-shaving comment. I just re-read what I wrote and it sounds really bad now. You know I didn't mean it that way. I hope it wasn't offensive.

One of the doctors were just telling me last week that the risk of blood clots during surgery is higher for obese patients. That's why they give us the tight stockings to wear before and during the surgery. Even when I was only 18 I was prepped for back surgery with these huge balloon-type-stockings. They were attached to a pump that kept pumping and unpumping my legs (like a blood pressure cuff) before and during my back surgery to prevent clotting.

I've tried laying around for a couple days and taking it really easy. I usually ride my motorcycle on Sundays, but last week I didn't get on it - just took it really easy. I've never heard of the peroxide thing. I'm working on getting another doctor appointment. If I don't get anywhere with the doc, I'll rent a box of movies next weekend and lay in bed with a gallon of peroxide and a box of gauze! I'll try anything!

I love these stories! My momster used to tie us up to the tree in the front yard, till they caught her. After things calmed down, she got smart and tied us to the bed inside. As we aged, we learned how to untie knots. So she had to come up with better punishments. My favorite was "Midnight Showers." Big sister, big brother, and I would be fast aleep. She'd sneak in the dark and dump water over us cackling (imagine the witch on Wizard of Oz.) She'd yell, "MIDNITE SHOWERS" while cackling, then go back in her cave and slam the door. I remember sitting on the floor, soaking wet, crying. Gosh, why am I so f-d up? Thank GOD there was food to steal to calm my little nerves.

Babs, Chris and I were worried about covering all our bills, so we said SCREW IT and went gambling. Sometimes you just have to "go with it." Why cry when you can laugh, so get out your razor and shave your head! You can come here any time, I'll be happy to sit around and cry with you! Cry, hug, laugh, cry, hug, laugh. Does Rogaine work for any of the three hairloss problems? Does Rogaine work at all?

Hey Doll Face, I don't have much advice, but I want you to know that it's OKAY to feel all that gloom and doom once in awhile. I get tired of acting like Mary Sunshine every single day when things just keep falling apart, and sometimes a good whining/bitching/crying session is just what the doctor ordered. Nothing that you mentioned will kill you, but it's a huge load for such a little gal. We are human so being angry, tired, frustrated, exhausted, etc., is normal. I'm glad you have a place to share it all. As far as hubby's ADD, if he's really been taking the meds for 3 weeks then they might start working soon - takes awhile for that type of med to regulate the chemicals. My whole life was like that one time. I filled a glass of wine and smashed it at the wall. It scared the heck out of my roommate, but ya know what? It felt damn good. I could breathe after that. Now don't go smashing stuff, but maybe try screaming into a pillow. Showing emotions is a good thing.

Lauri, I'm really busy right now, but I'd be happy to write a testimonial based on my own experience when I have a minute (I won't include my complications.) Maybe if a few people gave you letters showing that we are no longer dying.... how can they say no? My sleep apnea is gone, my blood pressure within normal range, lower cholesterol, etc.

These are great! Darcy, that's a wild story! Reminds me of my high school friend, Jill. Jill's brother is Jack (how cute isn't that?) Jill called me one day cause she was really bothered over a Jerry Springer episode; some strung-out, crackhead junkie was airing the dirtiest laundry on national TV, and Jill just felt like talking about it. A couple years ago, she called me horrified. Jack was bringing his new fiance'e home to meet the family, and the woman from Jerry Springer walked right into Jill's livingroom! Now they have a child but are so dysfunctional that Jill is supporting the whole family. Nobody wanted the freaks, so the family pitched in to buy a trailer and a lot on the other side of town.

Seems to be a lot of insanity around here, so I started this thread to share stories of our insane family. I'll start with Liana (my MOMster.) The woman has been certified by the courts, so instead of crying, I laugh a lot. She's on a mission to prove that "the government is corrupt." She thinks she discovered this hidden secret, and that she's gonna blow the cover soon. Shhh, nobody else knows. She spends her days typing 100 page letters to the president that nobody will ever read. She sends me copies and the typing makes your eyes blurry since she still uses manual typewriters (she has several going at one time.) She doesn't believe in waste, so she never double spaces. She underlines some words, bolds others, highlights others, all of the above to others, etc. She then uses different color pens to draw arrows to the bolded, underlined text, and then removes the paper from the typewriter and re-inserts it sideways so she can type in the margins. Please don't tell anyone about government corruption - it's her little secret.

That's a handful for sure. I forgot to post the "Inlaw stories" thread, so I'll do that now.

Time for the truth girls: PENNI IS EVIL. She sent me a ton of Godiva Truffles. Duh, like my favorite food on earth. Evil, black, dark, rich chocolate, dipped in chocolate then sprinkled in chocolate. And while I'm at it, stay away from her Christmas Tree Decorating party cause it's just a ploy for her to steal your man and your children... here are pictures to prove it! That's MY man and MY furbabies!

Foxy mamma! Nice pics!

Violet, red is a sign of infection or irritation. Is the area warm to the touch? If so, don't let it go any longer. Infected ports in the early days aren't something to mess with. As far as pills are concerned, many people can't swallow them whole. You don't want to take anything that can get stuck and irritate the esophogus or stomach. I'm able to take pills now. But when my restriction was tight, I couldn't get them down. I have a supply of liquid Tylenol, just in case. And some people even take liquid Vitamins.

That's it, I'm inventing a portless remote-control band.

One more thought. Open wounds aren't as unusual as we think. Remember, any surgery can result in a problematic wound. Patients can have the same open wound for years (which is why we have a new local "open wound" center.) And they're not all related to implants. In addition, the body can reject any kind of implant, not just the band. Women reject breast implants, and anyone can reject surgically implanted foreign objects. I know a woman that had surgical pins implanted in her ankle after a fracture, and she rejected the pins. My friend had a breast reduction and had open wounds for months. So maybe I'm not too unusual.