DeLarla

Michelle, Vera & Lisa - Bonded Bandsters : )

Karen has lost, oh, like NINETY pounds! Ginny's on the back on the left, and Carol & Leatha on the right (is Leatha trying to give me the finger?)

Is Karen: 1. Getting the waiter's attention; 2. Doing the Macarena; 3. Bonking Lisa.

Carol & Leatha (makes my heart smile posting these darling people)

Donali and her John - same obnoxious remark, both very nice John's though!

Pretty Penni & her John (Hmmm, where's LuLu's pimp?)

Beautiful Vegas Vika (Vegas Bandster)

Last table shot...

And another...

Another table shot...

Oh my gosh, I just read today's horoscope, you gotta read this: "You're about to take center stage with regard to your friends -- mostly because they want you there. Hey -- it's your natural place now. Smile pretty, and be tolerant of the media. " So, maybe Oprah WILL show up (totally cracking up here!.) YES, those were the empties, and for the record, while I haven't officially had one of Carol's frozen marguritas, I did try one, and this woman know's what she's doing! Last night was fun - there were some glitches at Howard Johnson's, so a few girls went to the Excaliber and others to The Westin, so we've got bandsters everywhere! Everyone showed up safe, and we had a great time at dinner. But we were all so exhausted, that some of us walked across the street to Terrible's Casino and played for about an hour. No major jackpots - yet! I'm up early, special for you guys so you can join our fun. Here's some pictures of the table at Buca di Bepo last night. I'll post names as the pics continue. And there will be tons & tons more pictures cause I saw at least 4 other cameras last night. Here's our table - on the Left: Carol, Leatha, John & Penni, my Chris & Donali's John way way in the back. On the right: Vera, Michelle, Ginny, Karen, Lisa & Donali.

Yes, these were the empties after Carol made her buckets of Margueritas - I probably drank an entire bucket, too!

Carol buying all the Tequila at Vons.

Vera, not quite sure if we have enough Tequila on the conveyer belt.

I edited this so I could list the names: From left to right (freshly landed safe in Vegas): Carol, Michelle, Texas Babs, Vera, Ginny.

Penni, DON'T BE LATE! It's 10:14 p.m., and I see JohnEmpire is on line. Tell him to get his butt in bed... and what the heck are you doing up so late? I KNOW you'll read this before you leave, so get to bed and get to Vegas already!

Unfortunately, I have the list that Leatha is referring to. It shows a couple local doctors in Las Vegas, but only one that is willing to do fills on Vegas patients. But he won't even touch an infected port or any other band related problem. So no, there's not even one doctor in Las Vegas that I can go to for my port problem. I was able to shower immediately after surgery, although I didn't fell well enough for two days, but I had liquid stitches. My port incision was the only one that bothered me after surgery, and it was red from the time I first noticed it. Five days later, it was pink and warm, so I called my surgeon. They told me "that's normal." Five days later, it was warmer and redder, and the doctor said, "leave it alone, let it heal." Then one night it sprung a leak and scared the hell out of me - it was clear Fluid, but my doctor's 24-hour emergency number gave me nothing but voice messages. I was horrified (thought I was dying, naturally) so I came here and learned that my wound was "weeping." I kept calling Mexico, and finally got a doctor on the phone - but he wasn't my doctor, just one nice enough to explain that "weeping" was normal in some case. However, the wound continued to weep and was red, swollen, hot, etc. After a month of this (while nobody at my doctor's office would acknowledge my problem) my veterinarian said I needed to get to a doctor right away to have the infection lanced. Kitty had an appointment, so I showed it to the vet. So I ran to Urgent Care, where they immediately lanced the incision and drained a bucket of infected liquid, then packed my wound. But 3 days later, the tube started popping out, so off to Mexico I went, where I found a second doctor who removed the port. But before I went, I got 3 different opinions, and all 3 surgeons agreed that if the infection was bad, the port needed to come out. I had to pay for travel, hotel, and about $1000 out of my pocket for the removal. If my doctor paid attention to me from the beginning, he could have written a prescription for more antibiotics. The moral of this story is never, ever give up. Keep calling, deman attention. If you think something is wrong, don't be afraid to speak up. I should have gone back to Mexico and sat in my doctors office till he showed up. So, going to Mexico is a gamble, but it was one worth taking (for me.) I'm sitting here looking at my disgusting, leaking incision almost 4 months old, yet I'd do it again tomorrow. It's worth the 55 pound loss. To me, anyway. And yes, I'll have to pay for the 3rd surgery, which will be about $2000.00 plus traveling expenses... choke, like I have any money left? But that's just a dream, since I can't get a new port till I'm healed, and I don't think that's gonna be anywhere in the near future.

Damn, I can't even get my house cleaned or the dog poop picked up, yet Penni has time to buy presents for 20 people?

Darcy, that's a relief (I think.) Are these meds supposed to cure gastritis, or just help with the symptoms. Is this gastritis thing going to be a chronic condition, or will it pass? And where's Waldo? I mean, what's their explanation for only locating 1 cc of your fill? Where did the rest go? Did their ears perk up like you might have a leak? I'm not even a doctor, but that was my first thought... hmm, wonder where the 1cc is... her painful abdomen? Sounds like you had a hellofa time. I've been home getting my house perfect for the party - so I'm doing some barfing myself. I've been working for 5 hours straight yet the only thing I can see that's done is the onions are chopped for the salsa. The clothing exchange seems a little out of hand - clothes everywhere! I'm going to sort them in pants, tops, jackets, dresses and shorts, shred the cheese for Saturday, and then hit the hay. I have 5 peeps to pick up at the airport in the morn. Beca, I'm not so sure why you think eating one egg is so bad... did it feel good once it settled? Are you all better now? Me and my wound are signing off. I can't believe I still have it, cuz I thought for sure once the bash came around there'd be nothing left but a scar to talk about. Darcy, sorry you're missing the grossness of it, but I did save you a picture. xoxo

I have 25 items of clothing at the resale store (she sells them on consignment then sends monthly checks.) They've been there since August, but I haven't received a dime yet. So I just called to say I was picking them up to add to our clothing exchange since not even one item has sold. But she won't let me have them! She said she has to keep them for a certain time before I can have them back! No problem. Tomorrow, we go to war. Signing off now... my work week is over, it's party time! I'm off to the store for last minute thingys for the party. Sure wish more of you could come... there's still a vacant bed at my house!

I don't mean to scare you, but I feel we all deserve honest facts. For me, there are no local doctors in case of emergencies. My Mexican doctor referred me to local doctors, but they all refuse to treat Mexican patients. My only choice is to fly or drive to Mexico. I did have an emergency, and I'm still not healed. My port incision never healed, and I needed emergency help. But nobody here would help me, so I had to go back to Mexico and have my port removed. I'm still having problems with the incision, so I might find a buddy to travel to Mexico with in November. I can't even get any fills till I heal, because they need to do a 3rd surgery to replace the port in order to fill me. But don't worry... the good news is that there really aren't any "band emergencies" that will require immediate attention. Most band problems are things that can wait till tomorrow - but don't take me the wrong way, if you feel it's an extreme emergency, listen to your body and get on the phone to your surgeon. They'll direct you what to do. I ended up in my local Urgent Care a couple times, but all they could do was give me antibiotics till I was able to get to Mexico. We're all in this together. You're home now.

For those of you wondering why all the pictures I'll be posting of me are going to be in my motorcycle helmet, it's because a lot of people owe me bonks on the head and will be throwing shoes at me... don't hate them, I earned it.

No lie, my eyes just watered up at your post. What an amazing way to end my day. There's hope for all of us. Can I ask you... have you ever pouch-packed? Did you ever eat past the point of being full? I have a lot of good days, but on my bad days I often overeat. I usually do really well as far as food choices. I've sliced my junkfood intake to a fraction of what it used to be, but I still think my portions are too big, so I'm contantly concerned about stretching my pouch. I don't want to hi-jack this post with my problems, but can you tell me if/how you overcame this problem, or have you stuck to tiny portions. Please tell us more about how you made it through the entire year. I love your goals!

Whatever happens in Vegas gets posted on LBT? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day. Snooty Oprah didn't even acknowledge our invitation; otherwise you'd all be watching it on national TV. As far as pictures, my computer's always on, so I'll personally download shots as the days progress. I refuse to be the only one being embarrassed this weekend so I installed a hidden camera in the clothing exchange room for some great underwear shots when they're trying on clothes. Illegal, but great all the same. And I will try to get guacamole up somone's nose. Can't make any promises, but I can try.

Hi there! Congrads on your band. You sound normal to me because all of us felt like something was wrong in the beginning! I remember well now, that every time I felt the strangest thing I was convinced I was dying! I'm surprised they didn't give you any post-op instructions. You'll find all sorts of great info here. Most doctors make you stay on Clear Liquids like broth, Jello and juice for a week. Then start introducing thicker liquids like Protein drinks and cream Soups, then eventually add mushy foods like mashed potatoes and cottage cheese. You have to make sure your band is set in place before introducing solid foods, and when you do, try a food to see if it works for you, then gradually add foods that work. Make sure to chew your food better than you ever have before, and stop eating after 20 minutes. No liquids with your meals. No carbonation. A lot of us started feeling better after a couple days, but then we felt worse for a while. Go easy on yourself. It took me 2 full weeks to stop feeling horrible. I used a heating pad for all my discomforts, and it felt great. Just remember to listen to your body and your better judgment. Don't rush to exercise hard - just walk a lot in the beginning starting slowly then gradually increasing. Soon you'll be dishing out advice! Good luck, and welcome to Bandland! You got banded on my birthday, so next year we'll both share a birthday.