New Hope

Brianna, best of luck to your Mom. Is your dr. talking about lapband surgery? RNY is a totally different animal. I know I eat more than that. The bandsters posting here are patients, not drs., so we can only give suggestions. We're not medical drs. Please do as much research as possible. The more knowledge you and your Mom have, the better.

Best of luck to you, Eva! Does your insurance company have a website? Do you know for a fact that your insurance company covers weight loss surgery and what particular type? If so, you should be able to pull up a list of dr. names. But always double check with your insurance company before doing anything. Also, once you get dr. names, call them direct and verify they take your insurance.

Ryan, you are so RIGHT! But if you expect us to cut you any slack, you're out of luck!

YES! YES! YES! As far as what to expect, it seems like every day is a brand new day with new trials and new triumphs! What is an average day's menu for you? Are you getting enough Protein? Are you drinking enough Water? You probably haven't given yourself time to recoup from the surgery itself. You will get to feeling better, soon! Best of luck to you!

Rica, so glad that your knee is doing better! Sorry I didn't get to "physically" meet you while you were here. Maybe next time. "Ya'll come back now, ya hear?"

Yeah, but those women don't have shreds of paper napkins stuck all over the front of their wet T-shirts!

Get all the sympathy you can out of this! I think you've earned it! If your Sis and Mom will come help, great! Let's see, laundry, cooking, vacuuming, grocery shopping, scrubbing bath tub. If they can do those for you, I bet you'll rebound even faster!

Anne, so glad that all is well. Please give yourself time to heal! Just try to move around as much as you can - comfortably. That will also help w/that nasty congestion. Take care!

Whoops, a little slow on the uptake here! I didn't mean THAT! Now my innocent little mind is having all kinds of flash pics! We better behave or we'll get moderated!

Whoa, Darcy! You're becoming a regular little lean, mean, fighting machine! You go, girl! Lisa, maybe you should hide the tupperware and just have zip-lock bags available. The Water dept. has been replacing the sewer line in our neighborhood. Six guys were in my backyard trying to run a liner through the pipe. They were all kicking on it. What's the deal? Why does something have to be hit or kicked to make it work? Do male bandsters start pounding themselves on the chest when they "get stuck"?

And what are you wanting to scream about, Miss Penni? "Enquiring minds want to know!";)

Hey, Penni, those Dairy Queens are put there for nourishment "along the long and winding trail"! I know you've traveled w/kids before! D.Q. is an oasis! They also want to make sure that you keep your level of "bad cholesterol" up! Great dipped cones!

Gosh, I hope she's O.K. You know "Texas is a whole other country" (dramatic theme music from commercial). Let's hope she didn't get lost "out there on the range" (missed an exit ramp), she could be driving for days! I really do hope her knee is much better.

Jennye, cute picture! Congratulations on how great you're doing!

Hey, doesn't keeping a sense of humor get us through some "interesting" times?

Betty, believe it or not, I was taking slow, small bites. I think that chicken was just too dry and was just compacting itself until I couldn't put any more in there. This band is a WEIRD little contraption! I had actually felt pretty "smart" walking into the A&W, holding my "wanna be a Harley Rider" bicycle helmet and gloves. But leaving was more of a slink and hope no body notices feel. My husband had put his helmet back on and I kept sitting in there. So he said, "Well, I better take this off. I look dumb." But I don't think he looked as dumb as I did, walking out w/ a wet tshirt! Since we were several miles from the truck, we just went ahead and rode our bikes. I figured I needed to "airdry" any way.

Another little "sliming" event like last night, and I'll just drop dead of shame. My husband will have to sell this slightly used Lapband on E-Bay to help cover the costs of my cremation.

Teresa, you have me laughing so hard that I can hardly type!! Your sliming description was too eery! That's exactly what happened to me! Do you think the A&W is the connection? I just knew I'd be ok after a little pb, but it was not to be. We had ridden our bikes to the A&W. When the "sliming" portion hit, it soaked my t-shirt! I was just glad there weren't any food chunks on it. But being the trooper that I am (ha!), we went ahead and rode our bikes. Between that and the Ben Gay smell that now permeates my husband's truck interior, we're talking some romantic stuff! I'm just glad that I wasn't trying to impress him on a first date!

I also bought a couple of dark pair for my husband. He had an artery removed from his leg, that was used for his open heart surgery repair. His leg swells badly ever since. The socks help so much! They come in different lengths. His come to mid-calf.

Good for you, Leatha! What city is your dr./hospital located in? Is that very far from your home? Will someone be there w/ you? Will you have someone at home to help you afterwards? Boy, nosey, aren't I? This surgery should be a heck of a lot easier because they won't be having to "dig around" like they did for the band installation. You know, I wonder if this was what caused you so much pain from that most recent surgery. Get that nasty thing out of your body!:)

But, Ryan, your secret is safe with US! Will you shave your legs, wear a Mexican wedding dress, and post pics wearing a sexy bra?

Oh, I wish I'd seen it! I wonder if it will reair any time soon.

NO!! I've pb a little bit a few times, usually from eating too fast or not chewing good. Now, I'm interpreting pb to be that little wad of chewed up food that's stuck. But the "sliming" was a whole different ballgame! You remember, Slimer, on Ghostbusters... it was just like that! A LOT of clear, slimey gunk that you can't just hide behind your hand! It was so gross! Now, I'm going to be paranoid when we go out to eat with someone! I'm hoping I learned my lesson! I think one time with that is certainly enough!

Day Three: Breakfast - small Protein drink, 1/2 veg. sausage patty, 1 scrambled egg lunch - chicken salad dinner - one A&W chicken strip Exercise - 13 miles bicycling at lake Good Deed - took bread and bird seed to ducks at lake (O.k., I'm stretching here. Will do better.) Big lesson learned today: The difference in pb and sliming. Chicken strip got stuck, went to public restroom, pb a little, came back to booth, SLIMED about a cup of clear gunk (aahh) down my shirt, went back to public restroom, pb a little more. 45 min. later, finally felt better. If you still feel "stuck" after a little pb, don't be an IDIOT and sit there. You're not finished! And a handful of napkins isn't going to be enough to handle the situation. Thank goodness, there wasn't anyone else around right then!

Candy, I'm a long way geographically from you. But I'm just a click away on the internet. I'm sending my best wishes to you and your family. Hope everything works out.