hagerteresa

Hi Betty, So glad to hear your date is coming up VERY soon!!!! You'll be in my thoughts and prayers. You are going to do GREAT! Best wishes, Teresa

Hi Katie, Your going to do great and your never going to look that way again. I haven't liked pictures of myself for a long time either so I wasn't very willing to do "official" before pics. I have a couple taken within a few weeks of surgery and just use those to compare with. Best wishes, Teresa

Hi Vera, Great Job!!! I love those things you put together with the pics. KC and I really enjoyed you a lot too. We had an unbelievably fun time meeting all of you and seeing the Vegas sights. Teresa

I'm up for this challenge too. I'm doing water aerobics tuesdays and thursdays but have been looking to be inspired to do something more. Teresa

We were on the road last week on my normal thursday weigh in date so I completely missed last weeks. I am going to hold off weighing this week until my normal thursday. I'll be curious what it does after all of those days of road food and gluttony in Vegas. Lisa and friends all still cook like pre-banders. It looked like there was enough tamales for each of us to have 2 or 3 apiece and Vera made enough enchiladas to feed a village. Carols margaritas were phenomenol as well as the crab dip. SO MUCH FUN!!! I'll let you know what the scale says thursday. Teresa

Babs made two references to me about her child being a wild little "monster" and out of control. I didn't see that. I just saw a normal adorable little girl with sucky parents. I am glad you don't have any suspicions of foul play between Chris and Babs too. KC saw babs flirt with him and it concerned him but I am glad it was all for naught. I used to be a jealous woman but after 10 years of being a couple I tease him and tell him that if someone wants to steal him, they can have at it. LOL... There was this one girl that he had known for years that had a huge crush on him and would try to steal him from me. Even on our wedding night she tried to get him to leave me and go out and play with her. Used to drive me nuts but now thank God that girl is married and lives in Hawaii. She actually married my first "quicky" fling I had when I was 21 years old. I had never had a date or a boyfriend in my entire life at that time. KC has been my only boyfriend ever. Chloe is adorable. Its too bad Babs just doesn't realize she is screwing up and hand over custody but I am sure that would happen when hell freezes over. Babs would be too selfish for that. How old are her other children? I had SOOOOO much fun meeting all of you!!! Penni you are adorable and your internet pics don't do you justice at all. You and John are wonderful. Lisa, I absolutely adore you and want to be friends forever. KC and I are definitely going to take both of you up on your offers to come and stay. Everyone is always welcome at my house. I found the entire trip to be amazing and fun, you were all wonderful. Love ya all, Teresa

Hi All, Just wanted to let you all know that we got home okay. I'll have more to say on all of the above news later, Teresa

Good luck!!!! I didn't have a pre-op diet either and went out the night before surgery for a nice dinner with my brother. You'll do great and I can't wait to hear how your doing after surgery! Teresa

Just go by the one you both started the contest using. I would think thats fair. In my chemistry class we got to use these high tech little scales to measure all of our chemicals and we would weigh the sample 3 times and take the average. These scales measure to the 1000 th of a gram and here we were having to take averages of .000#. I think your both winners too. Teresa

Hi Shelly! You do look great!!! I am totally impressed and like everyone else can't even believe you are over 200. You must be tall... LOL. You do look fantastic and I am glad your doing well too. Teresa:)

Catherine, Maybe you just need some of your fill removed. I'm not an expert or anything but rather than have it all removed I would just try having some of it out. Teresa

I too smoke and like everyone else would like to quit eventually. I never had any problems healing or anything so I assume all is well. Best wishes, Teresa

Hi Katie, Your not the first one that has had a case of clumsiness right after getting the band. My dogs pulled me over in our gravel driveway about two weeks after surgery. I was worried too but felt fine and healed fine. Best of luck and watch your step, Teresa

Hi Cindy, I too am sorry to hear about all of your band struggles. I sure wish you the best and hope you keep coming back here anyway to say hello, Teresa

Hi Alicia, It is good to meet you. Glad to hear all is going well. I got my band in May and have been really happy with it as well. Best wishes, Teresa

Darn!!! I knew I would be sorry referring everybody to him... LOL. Teresa

I met up with a local girl who had surgery with Dr. Lopez last year and she said she couldn't even swallow her own spit when she left the hospital. Flew home that way, was home a few days and ended up having to check into the local hospital for several days because of it. I couldn't believe they had let her leave in that condition. She is doing great now though. Down 95 lbs since last october. Teresa

That is funny about the seaweed. I love sushi and don't hesitate to eat it when its around. I also can eat poptarts (if I am inclined to) and most breads, pasta, rice and tortillas. The problem is my chewing. Anything can give me a problem if it isn't chewed well enough. Best of luck to you all, Teresa

Darcy, I fully agree with Betty, you need to get medical attention if something hurts that badly. I have had some port pain the last few days from doing ab workouts at the water aerobics class but it is only minor and uncomfortable to sleep on. If it was seriously hurting enough to make me cry I would be on my way to the docs lickity split... Becky, congrats on your loss but you need to get taken care of too darling. Best wishes to you both and hope you feel better soon, Teresa

Hi Kathy, Is that with flouro or something? When I talked to them it was $150 the first fill and $75 for all other fills. The girl I sent to them a few weeks ago came back and said that is what they charged her too, so whats with the price change? Maybe I'll have to give them a call... Let me know how it goes, Teresa

UNBELIEVABLE!!!! You crack me up girl! Now you must tell us all the details. LOL... Teresa

This whole situation makes me wonder about other Mexico doctors too. I never got a serial number for my band and I know of several others who used the same doctor who did not get serial numbers for their lap bands. I am pretty certain I got what I ordered but it does cause you to wonder a little too. Penni, I took you up on your advice and called Oasis of Hope for my surgical records. The fellow I talked to referred me to someone else and gave me a phone number. Ends up it was to Diane Beck and she is helping me get those records. Hopefully whatever she does works... Don Mills and Diane are sending me my Inamed card but for some reason Diane said that Dr. Lopez doesn't have my serial number. She says that she never got one either (she was banded years ago) and I know of a few others who never got theirs either. I guess I was supposed to be sent home with all these records and the Inamed card but I never got mine when I left. Don't know.... Penni, did you get your serial number? Teresa

Hi Sue, I was a nervous wreck too but it all went pretty smoothly. I flew to San Diego on a friday morning, was picked up by a crazy taxi driver, taken to a business office where I had x-rays, cardiogram, blood test, saw nutricianist, etc and then taken to hotel. Had a last dinner with my brother. I was picked up the next morning (they never run on time) and taken to the hospital (Oasis of Hope) which was clean and comfy. Not resort-like like Penni's but pretty comfortable all the same. I was supposed to have surgery that saturday morning but an emergency (not band related) forced my surgery to be postponed several hours. I was starving and nervous. The nurses weren't able to let me know what was causing the delay but I was definitely in a good panic when they came and got me in the middle of the afternoon. I was rolled into the operating room, given an anti-anxiety thing and don't remember anything afterwards. Woke up later sore and odd feeling but was able to get up and go potty without any assistance. I was definitely ready to leave the next day but there was a policy about keeping us two nights. I toured the hallways visiting another band patient and fiddling with their patient computers. I flew home the next day which was a LONG day but it all went fine. I went grocery shopping the day after I got home fine. I took one week off of work and was able to go back fine. Bending over was tough and the liquid phase is tough but well worth it. Best wishes to you and I'm confident you'll do fine. Teresa:)

How long of a break? Ussually when I have a PB episode I am not even interested in eating further until the next meal time and then I make sure it is something that works easily. I think sometimes after a few weeks of none occurring I get a little over confident and don't pay enough attention but it is weird I can go so long without any problem and then suddenly things become a problem. I also get the depo shot and don't experience any part of the normal cycle. Anyway I'll be interested in the experiences of others, Teresa

Hi Sarah, I have been trying to get specifics on how often other people PB too. Sometimes I don't for weeks at a time and then BLAM, I'll have 2 or 3 experiences of it within a couple of days. I tend to believe that when it does happen it is because I haven't chewed well enough but other times I thought I chewed pretty darned good and it will happen. When it does happen it ussually isn't violent or anything, more just an uncomfortable feeling and then a spit up. I haven't even had a fill yet so I just need to be more aware of my eating. I really try to avoid these episodes and I know how frustrating it is having them. How often are yours? Best wishes to you, Teresa