Penni60

Subject: The Hormone Hostage The Hormone Hostage knows that there are days in the month when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his very life into his own hands! This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, or significant other!! DANGEROUS: What's for dinner? SAFER: Can I help you with dinner? SAFEST: Where would you like to go for dinner? ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate. DANGEROUS: Are you wearing that? SAFER: Gee, you look good in brown. SAFEST: WOW! Look at you! ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate. DANGEROUS: What are you so worked up about? SAFER: What did I do wrong? SAFEST: Here's fifty dollars. ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate. DANGEROUS: Should you be eating that? SAFER: You know, there are a lot of apples left. SAFEST: Can I get you a glass of wine with that? ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate. DANGEROUS: What did you do all day? SAFER: I hope you didn't overdo it today. SAFEST: I've always loved you in that robe! ULTRASAFE: Here, have some more chocolate. 13 Things PMS Stands For: 1. Pass My Shotgun 2. Psychotic Mood Shift 3. Perpetual Munching Spree 4. Puffy Mid-Section 5. People Make me Sick 6. Provide Me with Sweets 7. Pardon My Sobbing 8. Pimples May Surface 9. Pass My Sweatpants 10. Plainly; Men Suck 11. Pack My Stuff ~ ~ ~And my favorite one ~ ~ ~ 12. Potential Murder Suspect Pass this onto all of your hormonal friends and those who might need a good laugh! Or men who need a warning! And remember: Money talks but chocolate sings. . Here have some chocolate

Weight now: 269 :faint: Exercise today: 30 min (10 min at 2mph and 5 incline on treadmill; 10 min on the weight bench focusing on Triceps, biceps, and quads; 5 min on the Recumbent bike at full speed = heart rate up to 130; 5 min on Ab lounger) Diet: Strict adherance to Nutrisystem. Will check back in later today to report.

Weight now: 269 :faint: Diet: Strict adherance to Nutrisystem. Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (I am just waiting for my shipment of foods. In the meantime I am committing to eating healthier and making better food choices.) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (30 min (10 min at 2mph and 5 incline on treadmill; 10 min on the weight bench focusing on Triceps, biceps, and quads; 5 min on the Recumbent bike at full speed = heart rate up to 130; 5 min on Ab lounger) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. (Not even gonna stress over this one for a long long time. Just gonna walk the walk for now and whatever I get is gravy.) I will drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. (Getting in the water is easy.) Positive reinforcement mantras: I will continue to eat healthy and hope to lose weight. I will continue to exercise and hope to lose weight. I will continue to be proud of myself with all the accomplishments to date.

Weight now: 269 :faint: Exercise today: 30 min (10 min at 2mph and 5 incline on treadmill; 10 min on the weight bench focusing on Triceps, biceps, and quads; 5 min on the Recumbent bike at full speed = heart rate up to 130; 5 min on Ab lounger) Diet: Strict adherance to Nutrisystem. Will check back in later today to report.

Trish after looking at this again this morning with clearer eyes (LOL) I just have to ask if the inside is healing slower than the outside. The tiny hole in the second picture looks great but the cavern that appears to be inside concerns me still. If the outside is healing faster then you could still have a pocket of infection deep inside. How much packing are you using and how often are you packing this wound?

Sub Private Merrick checking in FINALLY. Weight now: 269 :faint: Exercise today: 30 min (10 min at 2mph and 5 incline on treadmill; 10 min on the weight bench focusing on Triceps, biceps, and quads; 5 min on the Recumbent bike at full speed = heart rate up to 130; 5 min on Ab lounger) Diet: Strict adherance to Nutrisystem. Will check back in later today to report.

Send pics to penni@pennimerrick.com so I can resize them.

OH yeah Sue and thanks. I have been so busy lately that I haven't even had time to read 'fun' books.

If I understand his terminology correctly this is the same thing as a slippage. Either the band has slipped up or the band has slipped down. Either way an unfill can get things back to normal. And yes it is common to slip.

OH my gawd. I would have paid money to see that. TOO FUNNY!! And what a HUGE NSV for you.

Just sent mine out this morning. MID-SOUTH here it comes.

Trish: That actually looks rather angry. I remember Lisa's wound and how it was progressing in the healing process. It never looked that red around the edges and I don't remember her ever having green tinged drainage. I know you said you were seeing a wound specialist and I assume they know what they are doing. Of all the wounds I have seen that looks really awful to me. But if you are comfortable with how it is looking then ignore me. LOL!! How often are you packing the wound and are you irrigating it as well? Are you on any antibiotics?

I am all about a Cruise Paula. We could do a Encenada cruise leaving from Los Angeles. Or whatever. I am so there. REALLY I AM!! Susan, HAHA!! I have a graduation in June, a wedding and shower in July. SO THERE!! Yes I will keep the July appt for sure. And I will discuss all my options when I speak with him. Obviously I can't do it on my own. I am up to 269 now. YIKES!! :help: :help:

I rescheduled the appt for July. I have way too much going on this month to worry about going to see my band doctor. Family arriving this Saturday and Sunday then my youngest graduates on Thursday the 22nd. Family is here through the 27th. Just shoot me now. :faint: It will be fun but man is it gonna be hectic.

Haven't heard from "Biggest Loser" but I did see a commercial on TV the other day where they are still accepting applications for the next season. SO maybe I am not out of the running yet? Believe me if I get chosen you guys will be the FIRST ok well SECOND to know.

Using what I have seen in my nursing experience it sounds like you could have candida in your mouth but of course get in touch with your doctor or go to an urgent care clinic. It is easily treated with fungal mouth rinses.

Kari: I think you need to be scoped like pronto well as soon as your doc gets back in town. And you need to push to get it done. Some docs don't believe that it is warranted to get it done. I fear two things with you. Either a slip or you have eroded. The slip would require emptying the band of all fluid to see if the slip will correct itself if not then that would require surgery. If it is an erosion then that would require surgery to remove the band. I had restriction (2.2cc in a 4cc band) up till the day they took out my band. So losing restriction does not ALWAYS mean you have eroded or slipped. Here is my story: I was doing really well but had hit a long plateau. I had lost 70 lbs with the band. I was 18 months out. One night I was eating a chicken breast. Mind you small bites and chewing chewing chewing. Or so I thought. I got stuck. And just to clarify the "golf ball" feeling is in the throat for some of us. I was one of those. (The esophagus job is to use muscles to push the food down the tube into the stomach. If you fill the pouch to the brim and the esophagus keeps pushing into a full pouch then the "golf ball" feeling will result. You will feel like you need to burp and that is when the food will come out "PB" or productive burp). Anyway, I then got so bad I couldn't swallow my own saliva. I called my doc he told me to come in for an unfill because he thought I had slipped. So I unfilled and immediately felt relief but knew something else was going on. I just "felt" it, hard to describe. I asked for an Endoscopy (also knows and an EGD or Endo). My surgeon thought I was crazy for asking for one but he listened to me and set it up for the next morning. He said I doubt we will find anything other than irritation due to the chicken getting stuck. He was wrong. I had Erosion about 40% to 50% erosion of the band INTO my stomach wall. You could see the white band on the ENDO. He was surprised. I went in for surgery that night to have the band removed. If you don't feel right get an ENDO. That is the only conclusive test out there for Erosion.

Well, my youngest is growing up. I am sad and happy all at the same time. This is just one more right of passage. PROM NIGHT!! He and a gang of his friends all decided to go together as a group. Myself and some of the parents rented a Stretch Limo for them all. Gives us a piece of mind. So all 9 of them met at our house and took some pics then jumped in the Limo for their ride to the Prom. I am a little choked up about this. I am surprised that this is affecting me as much as it is. But man do I have a handsome son. Well you be the judge.

Heather, I am so stoked to meet you too. Can't wait to give you your packages and your jewelry. LOL!!

When I called Inamed and basically bitched them for me eroding, LOL!! they informed me that the Pars Flacida technique is the ONE that they are suggesting all Lapband Doctors use as the other technique (peri-gastric = I think that is what it was called) seemed to cause more problems. Guess which technique my Mexico doctor used on me? Yup the old one. GRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Inamed said they had informed all Lapband Surgeons to stop using that old technique about 6 months to a year before I was banded. So guess my Mexico doctor didn't get that memo.

Mandy: The school's here in Los Angeles or Calif in general don't start school till after Labor Day and get out in June. He lived with his father for about 6 years of his life. He was with me for the first 10years then went to live with his father for the next 6 years. His father is a piece of work. Bradley called me one day (he was 16 so keep that in mind). He was crying and obviously scared outta his mind. He said his father was going to send him to Military BOOT Camp because he had a C on his grade card. His father is really a shit. He never pays his bills, he is forever getting in trouble for writing bad checks, he cheats on every wife he has had (3 so far with one in the wings). He never keeps in touch with his kids. I had to beg him for his address so I could send him the Graduation announcement for his son. Anyway, I digress. So my son calls crying (he is 16 ok) and I ask him what he wants to do. I then say, "you wanna come live with me?" He says very quietly like he is afraid someone will hear him. "Yeah I wanna come home." Doesn't that just break your heart? He can't even call living with his father a home. So for the last two years he has been with me and John. He is the smartest and bestest kid and very considerate and kind hearted. He came out of his shell after living and walking on egg shells while with his dad. Now to explain why he went to live with his dad in the first place. I was in a bad situation financially and the two youngest ones always wanted to go live with their dad. The two oldest knew what type of person he was because they "remembered" all the bad times. But the two little ones didn't have those experiences. Not that they really needed to have them but they wanted to live with him, so off they went. Long story short, both kids don't care to speak or make efforts to contact him. That is sad.

Jayme I moved your thread to the Life After Lap-Band removal forum. I feel your pain. I too was disbanded after 18 months. I too had eroded to almost 40 to 50% I think is what the doctor told me. I was lucky though and had no infection but it was headed in that direction. I practically diagnosed my own erosion. My Band doc didn't think I had erosion but he was surprised when he did the Endo. LOL!! LUCKY ME HUH?!! I am 6 months post band removal. I did gain 20 lbs back but that was my OWN doing. I just went for it. Now I am paying the price. I am not struggling to get back on track. Keep that exercise regimen and keep the eating habits you developed while banded and you will do just fine.

OLD! Bite your tongue Paula. Just wait your turn is coming. I am fighting that rocking chair and wheel chair every step of the way. They all came back to the house after the Prom and hung out here. I was heading to bed but they wanted me to hang with them for awhile and just chit chat. Pretty cool. Even Bradley wanted me to stick around. WOW!! I just am filled with Pride for him. He graduates on the 22nd of this month. Then he goes right into college at ITT TECH.

I forgot to mention that he won three awards on Senior Grad Night. 1= Chemistry 2= Physics 3= I can't remember now what the third one was. So incredibly proud of him.

One more of Bradley and his friend Ryan (who looks sharp in all black).