DeLarla

MY QUEEN! Where ya been, Donali?

Dawn, don't allow hubby to decide what YOU will ride. Start trying them all out now. Sit on all the different bikes at the Harley dealership, snag rides with anyone who'll take you on back. Would you let hubby pick out your shoes or handbag? Same with bikes, we each have different personalities and preferences. My husband wanted me on a Dyna, and I almost bought one like his. But I was hesitant and waited. Then I sat on the 2006 Street Glide last month and saw angels. I grew out of my Sportster in the first year. Great bike but too small for an Amazon like me. I ride hubby's Dyna sometimes, which is like riding a bad ass chopper. My new bike is like driving a Mercedes. They're all different - only your butt will know when you find the bike that's right for you.

@$%@%^!@#&*(*())__*&^%+#$# Does that say enough about how frustrated I am with head hunger?

Damn, I wish someone was here with a camera! I stopped wearing these jeans months ago because they were too tight. I grabbed them this morning out of "need to do laundry desperation" and not only do they fit, but I can pull them off without unzipping. How can I take a picture of me pulling off my own pants?

OMG, I'm wetting my pants here... Alex, could we please have talking avatars? Cluck cluck cluck cluck. I'm just having my very own party in my head today! Could you imagine, talking avatars!:clap2:

"Delarla, honey is pure sugar. So is Fructose, sucrose, corn syyrup and maple syrup." Paul, duh... did you NOT see the part where I'm intentionally staying in denial? Honey is evil, but I prefer putting bee poop in my pie hole instead of synthetically adjusted powder. And you know way too much about artificial sweetners for a guy. Damn boy, where'd ya get all dem smarts? I'm only talking about personal experience, and I'm very much addicted to diet cola. I'm not picky about brands, but the chemical addiction is very strong. Artificial sweeteners aren't the only chemicals in diet soda. Phenylketonurics are cautioned against the Phenylalanine. Maybe I'm a Phenylketonuric.

Am I the only psycho? Is anyone else afraid of the following: Fiding dead bugs inbetween toilet paper sheets when going potty. Lifting the lid to find a decapitated head staring at you.

It used to be just a thread till I posted my new beauty there. My bike now qualifies it for an entire section, thank you. Boys, hmpf!

I had one too, but the pain stopped after I was banded. My Mexican surgeon's English could never translate whether he fixed it, or if the band placed over it pushed it back down. But I just posted on another thread that it's starting to hurt again (a little) after having my band removed. I asked my removal surgeon what he was going to do about the hernia, but in all the misery of band removal surgery, I forgot to ask him.

One month ago I was in the hospital for band removal. I'm one of the lucky/unlucky ones that's still restricted. I had a terrible hiatal hernia that hurt like a muthah prior to banding. It was apparently corrected with the band and stopped hurting. Now I feel that pinching/ouch often that scares me to overeat. But fright doesn't always hold me back, because I've had a couple bad binges that kept me awake all night in pain. I now have Barrets Esophagits, which means potentially cancerous stomach cells somehow eroded my esophagus (something like that) making it hard to swallow. A few nights ago I ate Cookies and peanuts right before bed and had a very frightening night of not being able to breath; choking, wondering if I'dl ive. Bad habits don't fade easily. In my condition, I simply can't eat before bed or I won't sleep. Two of my incisions hurt like I've been beaten up (port & small one between & below boobs.) Dr. Billy didn't need the small one, but he cut out the bad scar (kiliod) for me in hopes of a flat scar. I can't wear bras because they rub that scar, which is probably why the 1st one turned to a kiloid. I've managed to lose a few pounds since band removal, which is a miracle considering I gained 10 pounds towards the end of my banded life. I try to stay at 1200 calories, but I go over every night with large portions. Staying away from night eating might kill me one day. It's what I do. Last night I drank a Diet Coke to keep from eating, but then I need a Xanax to sleep. I just felt the need to journal all this.

Honeybear I mean Jessiebear, I've intentionally stayed in denial about honey doing the same thing. I do not want to know! I enjoy a tablespoon in my green tea on occasion. Tons of people are addicted to Splenda and Equal. Heck, I'll even take the pink stuff. What does it tell you when it's so hard to quit a diet artificial sweetener? Crash n' burn, baby.

Yes, the nausea and the poopies will all go away!

I'm glad you agree but DeLarla wasn't right, it was Dr. Billy who gave me the "no artificial sweeteners" lecture. He explained how diet foods, non-fat, lowfat, sugar free (with the exception of low fat milk) are loaded with ingredients that trigger cravings. Artificial sweeteners are derived from sources that cause the same crash n' burn effect as carbs do. It's true based on my own experience. If I have a Diet Coke at lunch, I simply can't make it through a night without getting into crap. And I don't go looking for cheese or fruit, I need Cookies or chips. It's not a "want" either, it's a physical craving that I can't control. I'm sick of Dr. Billy being right, but he knows what he's talking about.

According to the 7 surgeons I know, "infections happen." It can never hurt to boost your immune system with supplements, but I don't think you can plan to avoid infections.

There's already a bandster party scheduled at my house for late August. It will be our 3rd annual

Thanks everyone! I'll start tomorrow morning at David's Bridal, then Dillards, Nordstrom & Torrid since they're all pretty close to each other. If I don't find something there, I'll shop online. Not only do I need a formal, but the ball is Mardi Gras themed so 500 women are looking for purple, green & gold dresses. I'm on a mission for sure! I found a green velvet dress from last year's clothing exchange but I'm not sure if it's alterable, but it's not long, and I like the long & sexy dresses that Jenna posted. The amazing thing about the green velvet is that it was my incentive dress. Nobody wanted it at the exchange and it was too small to zip on me. I tried it on this morning and it fell off! Woop woop! Jen, it's for our Slumber Convention Mardi Gras Ball in New Orleans.

Not only did you find the best support group in the world, but we have a whole Banded Bikers section! Welcome, and congrads on your new band!

Diet, exercise and weight loss for an extended period, then the body has no choice but to give in. It's always the simple answers. And unfortunately, walking my dogs for 45 minutes several times a week might have some health benefits, but it's not the kind of exercise that will melt fat. You have to work and sweat and breath hard for a good 45 minutes to an hour to see noticeable results. Any good doctor or nutritionist will laugh at the "starvation mode" nonsense that people cling to as an excuse for not losing weight when they restrict caloric intake. If there was such thing as starvation mode, people wouldn't perish from not eating. There might be a temporary lag in weight loss, but nothing worth being concerned with.

It's not supposed to be a good thing, but congrads! I remember how you felt when everybody but me was PBing. It took me a couple months but hurt like hell when it finally happened. Congrads - you are a real bandster.

Nykee, this is the 2nd time you made me cry this week. You deserve pretty girl clothes, and you look darling!

Dr. Billy is a hardass Diet Nazi and the only surgeon I'd ever recommend. Somehow that prick got my butt back to the gym, and I've actually lost a few pounds since he removed my band and gave me his Nazi diet regimen. I have the utmost respect for him, and he'd laugh that I called him a prick! All in love, baby. My husband hates doctors, but he bows down to Dr. Billy and says (in awe) that Billy is the only man that ever shut me up.

Francesca, you DO have every right to be mad, especially since so many Lopez and Ortiz patients continue to erode. One girl even has a Mexican attorney and is suing Lopez, though I don't know how that works. There goes DeLarla, opening a new can of worms! I'm not saying to sue Ortiz, but you have a strong argument against him that he should reband you at his cost (that is, if rebanding is an option.) He has been reasonable and fair to other patients, so pull yourself together and do some power writing. Write anything that comes to your mind and don't stop till you're all vented out. Then re-organize what you wrote into a well drafted letter to Ortiz. Give him a chance. I've lost a few pounds since band removal, but I'm also starving most of the time. I try to count calories, and I do well during the day (by feeling starving and drinking tons of Water.) But my evening meals are larger than a normal person eats, even though most is vegetables. But still, no person needs to eat the mass quantity of veggies that I can consume in one sitting. Huge.

I never really listened to just one surgeon since they all have different opinions. I asked Dr. Billy straight up why band surgeons forbid carbonation. Billy said there's no documented proof that it causes slippage or erosion, but surgeons are concerned that gas might get trapped in the lower belly and cause discomfort. Mainly, carbonation can cause pain. Billy also said something as crazy as a hiccup or a band sneeze could potentially cause slippage, so avoiding carbonation isn't one of his rules unless it contains sugar or artificial sweetners (the fun stuff.) He reminded me that bandsters don't miss the carbonation, they miss the crap inside. I, however, do enjoy club soda with lime. Sure, I'd rather have gin and tonic, but then I have to count those calories. Blah. I take all the info from all the surgeons and toss it in a blender to come up with a more universal set of rules.

Randy, my cycle is like clockwork. But it stopped for an entire cycle after banding. Tomorrow will be one month since band removal, and my period is 2 weeks late. I asked my docs, and it's completely normal. I'm not sure about the breakthrough bleeding, but my doc said a messed up menstrual cycle is fairly common after weightloss surgery. WARNING: I still got the PMS on time, but it's lasting way longer than hubby knows what to do with! Be patient and kind or she may eat you. Grrr.

I want to join the club, really I do. Hold a space in line, will you? Mandy, you are always here cheering the rest of us on, so when I'm done eating my green beans, I'm gonna get up and do the Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, special for you!