DeLarla

I was a Tylenol girl pre-band, but sometimes I need something stronger. How about Percocet? Is that a band no-no? I always answered "no" to any allergies at the doctor. But now it says in red pen that I'm allergic to NSAIDS, just in case I forget.

Ice cream is a liquid. And if they tell you to switch to solids, it's also a solid. That's the beauty of ice cream. The Nevada Ice Cream Counsel (a.k.a. ME) Michelle, try adding a splash of something to your water. Juice, even soda or Koolaid. Just a splash makes all the difference. During my motorcycle class it was blazing hot, so I was gagging down water. Everyone was drinking Mountain Dew, and in that heat it looked so, sooooo good (and I've never been a Mtn. Dew girl.) So I asked the instructor for a shot. He added a small shot of the Dew to my water, and it was so nice. Made all the difference in the world - just a few capfuls did the trick and got my water down real easy with no carbonation.

Marie, before I was born my parents were nearly killed on a Harley (they weren't even married yet.) I'm all about safety. My husband thinks I'm a geek because I earned safety reflective stickers for my helmet, so it doesn't look "cool." Even the makers of the helmet put a brass button on the side of the helmet that says, "Boneyard" and the Harley emblem is written in bones. Last night when I rode, I actually pulled to the side of the road when the traffic got heavy. I'm not going to pretend anything. But I did it! I got onto the streets - only for one block - but I did that 3 times. Thanks guys, it feels good to have won the game against Chris. I got a 95 on my driving test... he got an 85. HAHAH, he says it's cuz I tested on a smaller bike, but hell, I only had a few days of training compared to his 3 decades. ONE BIG ONE FOR THE WOMEN!!!! Donali, do you seriously want me to have a heart attack? Another bike? Now where did I put those bankruptcy forms. Yes, Penni, a big hi-five across the internet for getting Mr. B. back. Classic moment. All I said during his tantrum was "You opened a big ol' can of worms, didn't you?" Whipple, you seriously don't need to egg Donali on any more! Two bikes? Hell, I guess I may as well stop plucking my chin hairs and grow a beard!

Damn, I just remembered I'm highly allergic to bandages and those tape patches. I have extra scars on my belly in addition to the 5 incisions, because I actually blistered from the bandages after surgery. Where's that stuff we can roll around on the floor?

Wow, Teresa, I can't imagine an instructor falling. I got "saftey safety safety" crammed in my head 20 times every hour for 3 days straight. The entire course revolved around safety with huge portions on "suprises on the road" such as rain, oil, debris, gravel, etc. If one of my instructors slipped, I'd have been really discouraged. But guess what? It's official... I have my license. I went to the DMV today and got my new photo taken, and here's the major bonus - I took a good DMV picture for the first time in my life! So not only do I have a bike license, but it's a cute one! I left work to go to the doc this morning. Nothing's broken, but they x-rayed my foot because it's swollen & bruised. I have a torn muscle in my chest-wall, but I'm unable to take NSAIDS, so I just gotta wait it out. I seriously had no desire to ride the Harley tonight (needed a night of rest.) But I HAD to go because the license was official, so Chris stood out front while I rode around the block a few times. Then I decided to go for it! I went across a busy street to my friend's house! I stayed close to home, but I actually drove in traffic for a few minutes 4 times. I'm not too confident yet, so that was a big deal. I was gone 1/2 hour, and Chris was pretty damn pissed at me (like I give a crap?) He told me I wasn't supposed to go in traffic yet. Will he ever figure out that I don't listen to rules? Especially from a man? So when I came home, he was mad, and all I could say was, "Honey, when you brought home that Harley you opened up a big ol' can of worms, so you better get used to it!" So he stormed in the garage mumbling about buying another bike (just picture a 9 year old throwing a tantrum cause he can't have $100 for a new video game.) Boo hoo. BOO.... HOOO.... HOOOOO!

Darcy, my body WAS lost in the desert! After class, we were all wiping dried salt off our faces. And the men all showed off their salt-stained arm pits. Attractive bunch. The desert is brutal!

I have to go see the doc to have my new shoulder & foot injuries checked out. Maybe I'll have them scope my band... how much study has been done when you get in an accident (can the band slip?) I fell pretty hard on the ground and hurt my shoulder... if my band slipped I'm gonna hunt down that woman and make her fix it!

I woke up this morning with a shoulder injury, so I won't be riding for a while. I must have pulled something when the bike flew out from under me. The instructor was extremely negligent by taking control of my throttle. I'm pretty pissed - have a sore foot and screwed up shoulder. At least they suspended her. I didn't learn to ride cause I want to ride. I did it to get even with my husband. I'm not sure if I'll do much riding, since I enjoy being on the back of his bike, but know I know how to hide it from him! Michelle, I'm not sure I'd have done this with 50 extra pounds. I'd have been a sweaty mess. Plus it would have been that much harder to get on the back of the bike. Bikes are dangerous - I'm kindof a safety girl, so I'm proud that I passed the tests, but I'm still no biker chick! Although I wish Harley would call with my cute jacket!

Sue, how did you know I partied in a dumpster?

I'm up 1.5 but I spent 2 days in the frying heat, so I'm probably bloated. I'm a very slow loser. I'm slowing to like 3 pounds a month, but as long as I don't see a gain by the end of the month then I'm good.

Going back to the original question of, "Why Mexico?" Did I forget to mention how much fun I had in Tijuana when I went for my 2nd surgery? Ole' !

Lisa Green, girl, you're gonna have to keep up with the posts! We're not going to the Cerbat ruins for 2 more weeks - it's part of the Vegas Bash. This whole weekend I was in motorcycle school. But I posted Motorcycle School under a separate post if you want to read it. I'm always either in trouble, or getting someone in trouble. Today I had one of the motorcycle teachers suspended because she hurt me.

NSV - Non scale Victory Onederland - When you get below 200 pounds PB - Productive burp NSAIDs - Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatories Anyone want to start a new "Band Language thread? Anyone old enough to remember Steve Martin's stand-up acts in the 70s? He was hysterical and said a fun trick is to teach kids how to talk wrong. So his kid's in 1st grade and has to go to the bathroom, so he raises his hand and says, "Me am amm moo dog face in the banana patch." ??? Maybe you had to be there.

I'm really Lisa B. Mrs. Bones, if you may. But DeLarla comes out when she wants to play.

Wow, Neicy. That's pretty impressive. How do you know about these patches? I may need one - I had a motorcycle fall on me today! And it was the instructor's fault. I'm pretty sore and may need a foot x-ray depending how I feel in the morn.

Biker Boot Camp was brutal hell (and that's an understatment.) Sorry to say. Friday night, all day Saturday, and today, Sunday morning starting 6:30 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. Nearly 100 degrees, long sleeves, gloves, helmets, boots, hot bikes, steaming concrete; but that's not the worst of it. I got an instructor suspended. Yep, only me. You won't believe this one. It's a beginner class. Out of 10 people, 3 dropped their bikes. Not good. I wasn't one of them. But a bike did fall on me, so that's 4 bikers down. But mine wasn't my fault. Now you're thinking, "sure, everyone says that" but listen up: Our instruction was to go from 1st, shift to 2nd, increase to 15 mph, then stop on a dime between cones while downshifting into 1st using both breaks. Now you gotta understand how complicated that sounds to a bunch of brand new people when 2 have already fallen. It's all we can do to shift and stop, but the force us right into complicated patterns. But we try. Everyone is screwing up, then it's my turn. My first round I stall. No biggy, you get to keep trying till the whole class gets it. My 2nd try, I was lucky to stop the bike, but screw downshifting. So I take my 3rd shot. But I still didn't coordinate all the movements, so this psycho instructor woman starts screaming in my face about my clutch, then grabbed my throttle and opened it full-throttle till my bike (that I was sitting on) started smoking, and then it took out from underneath me and landed on my foot. I screamed 3 times, "GET THIS F-ING BIKE OFF MY FOOT" and she finally lifted it, but by then the other instructor had run over. I was screaming bloody murder at the idiot as she tried justifying her insane actions. That's like reaching over and pressing someone's gas peddle to the floor while they're at the wheel. She stood there like an idiot trying to justify her actions by saying she thought I had control of the bike. I screamed, "that's my f-ing point, I'M the one on control of MY bike, not YOU, yet you grab my throttle and try to kill me?" Long story short, the other instructor immediately followed proper protocall & called the supervisor of the Dept of Transportation, who showed up in 20 minutes. The filled out incident reports then sent crazy-instructor-woman away. They tried forcing me to the hospital, but I refused. Major ordeal. I became irate and refused to leave after waiting so long for the course and being 1/2 way through it. They checked my foot, and nothing is broken, so I started limping around burning off my anger & fear. They decided to let me stay because it didn't impair my ability to shift. So the Big cheese took over as our 2nd instrutor. Problem is that the bitch freaked me out so bad I may never ride again. But that's why I stuck with the class - because if you don't get right back on the horse you probably never will. My hands were shaking all day long, and my heart won't slow down - that bitch stole my confidence, so I'm surprised I passed because once nerves take over, I'm a wreck. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Brutal Biker Boot Camp!! Can't believe they put beginners through the stuff we had to do. But the good news is that it's over. Two people failed. I wasn't one of them. So I earned my license... passed with a 95! Only one guy got a higher score but he rode bikes when he was younger. So there, done deal. I can walk into the DMV tomorrow and switch my paperwork in for a motorcycle license. Whoda thunk it?

Make sure to read labels on all your pain meds because a lot of them are the forbidden NSAIDs (anti inflammatories) like Advil and Motrin/Ibuprofin.

Boo hoo, I'm the only one that can't figure out what "NSV" means. Something about goals & dreams? Leatha, I'd be next to you on the dance floor if I were there! I've always been a big dancer since the disco days doing the Hustle at a club called My Uncle's! I used to go folk dancing, square dancing, line dancing. I even danced last weekend in my biker boots at a bar where the band was playing Tainted Love. I dance in my office, in my car, in my underwear. I'm jealous!

You're probably tired of me talking about MY new motorcycle, but I've been up since 3:30 a.m. (I'm a very bad sleeper) and the world is asleep. So here I am. Yesterday's class was brutal.... B R U T A L. Friday night we were in a very boring classroom with 11 students, 6 had never been on a bike. So they're teaching the class how to shift gears and ride a motorcycle out of a book. Complete waste of time. Then yesterday we got to ride a little. We're required to wear full gear, so my Herman Munster motorcycle boots, long sleeve black t-shirt, socks, jeans and helmut baked me in the 95 degree heat for 5 hours straight... zero shade. Two drill seargent instructors yelling, but ya never know who is getting yelled at so everyone's in constant fear! But the waiting... oh how the waiting nearly killed us. (Not just me, the entire class had quivering knees by the end of the day.) First, my bike is huge, so my long legs are comfy. Yet they put me on a tiny 250, which means I gotta draw my legs up like a damn frog, which isn't something they've ever done before, yet "PULL YOUR KNEES IN LISA" all day long! And they've got everyone riding on top of each other, which is so dangerous for people that have never been on a bike. One huge 350 pound guy in front of me crashed & fell over, which scared the hell out of the brand new girl behind me so she fell over, which caused this major panic. So after 5 hours in the blazing son using muscles that I'll never use on my Harley, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the classroom studying for the written exam... the classroom with the BROKEN air conditioning. So we had to stay late because the instructor gave us 10 minute breaks every half hour cuz the funky stench and heat was overwhelming. 12 people sweat their butts off in the heat all day to be cramped in a room with no AC when it's nearly 100? F-U-N-K-Y! And all us girls sniffed each other, and none of us were funky, so it was one or two of those men who hadn't bathed first. Funky! The class definitely needs work. They finally get us all riding around cones and getting some practice, when they yell at us to cut the engines and dismount so we can stand around in the heat listening to them lecture for 20 minutes about what one or two people are doing wrong. So I must have lost 3 pounds because it was a hellofa workout. Plus I had major restriction so I had a liquid lunch and PB'd my dinner (but I fought the PB and won so it didn't come up.) But, did I take advantage of all that fat burning? Who, me? Nope. Ate a pint of Ben & Jerry's, set the container on the nightstand and fell asleep without even brushing my teeth! Penni, you still have plenty of time to win this challenge. If you lose five and I gain five, maybe we'll actually tie! Missed you guys.... I have to be back in class today, only today it's a 10 hour day outside in the heat... on the bikes all day long. The tiny little bike where my knees nearly drag on the ground. But we all passed the written test, and by the end of today they'll force me to pass the driving test. Naturally I wasn't able to sleep, so today I'm gonna lose five pounds but I SWEAR I WILL NOT EAT ICE CREAM TONIGHT! I will have progress! I will, I will, I will!

Going to Mexico was difference between getting banded and dying. I was 313 and have anxiety disorder so I'm constantly stressed out. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea (I slept with a breathing machine to keep my heart beating.) But I was too afraid to get a bypass, and insurance wouldn't pay for the band. I only qualified for $8,000 worth of credit. Here's the deal: Band here in Vegas is approximately $24,000... My price in Mexico - $7,500 'Nuff said? By the way, I'll always suffer from anxiety, but now my blood pressure is normal, cholesterol normal, and I don't even know what dusty old cabinet my breathing machine is in... I'm flying solo, breathing like a big girl all on my own!

I'm envious that you only tripped up this one time! I trip up regularly, and last night ate nearly a pint of Ben & Jerry's finest (new flavor called Di's Candy Store, chocolate ice cream with candy bars.) Yesterday I was in a motorcycle class in extreme heat for 5 hours straight. I sweat my butt off, plus all the physical endurance of riding, standing, squeezing my knees into the bike, etc. I probably lost 2 pounds yesterday, and I had too much restriction to eat a salad for dinner. So I ate some ice cream, which turned into the whole container (I forced myself to throw away the last few spoons.) So much for kicking fat's butt all day in the sun. One 20 minute session with ice cream erased my entire day. But today I finish the class, and it's supposed to be an 11 hour day on the bikes. My muscles are so sore from yesterday, so maybe I'll burn off the ice cream and just hope I didn't put a pound on! Ice cream is my queen... when it comes to ice cream, I AM the weakest link!

Elizabeth, did the doc tell you how you slipped your band? I've had major restriction for 3 days now following 3 days of bad binge eating. But I don't want to hijack Donali's post, so maybe you could start a new thread with that info? Thanks! By the way, why would anyone vote for Bush or Kerry when we have Donali? Don, why stop at the porch - rebuild America! Woo hooo!

Hey Love, some of us had pain, others didn't. I only took pain med for 2 days post-op. But I was pretty miserable for two full weeks after the surgery, but it was from the bloating, gas, and bad diarreah. I had so much toxic waste built up in my system that my guts rumbled and I was poofed out like a blowfish. I got lucky though and picked up a bad bronchial infection, so when I tried going back a week after surgery my boss sent me home so I woulnd't infect my co-workers - DAMN! It was the best thing that coulda happened because band-wise, I was not ready to go back to work in one week. Sitting upright at my desk in clothing was torture. I needed two. Just laying on a heating pad to release the pressure and gas, then walking around, laying down... big baby, I suppose! After band surgery, a moo-moo and big granny panties were the only thing I felt like wearing. Huge sleepy-t-shirts & nothing around my waist. I even gave up bras for awhile - anything binding was misery. But we're all diffferent.

No, I think there used to be a cabinet in the space. Picture a really small room... it was a separate little closet-size room for just the toilet, but the previous owners made the room bigger and added a bidet. They tiled all the walls with a very beautiful tile that can't be matched, and they must have had some cabinet on one of the walls. They tore out the cabinet, so it's all still beautiful tiles except the one 4x5 chunk of wall. But I just consulted with friends & family, and we agreed to fix the plaster then hang a huge mirror, which I'll frame with one of those long, frilly scarf thingies. If you lived in Vegas, maybe a mural, but I'm gonna slap a mirror up.

Lisa, we bought our house with some damage. We've got most of it controlled except one bathroom. The previous owners must have ripped cabinets off the wall and left cruddy drywall. Problem is the rest of the room/walls is beautifully tiled with tiles we can't match. So I considered having the drywall repaired and either buying an enormous mirror, or having a cute mural painted. Right now there's a huge oil painting covering the mess, but I still know it's there!